With 2020 approaching, MODA Blog rounds up the best, worst, and most iconic phenoms of the 2010s.

For the past few years, long-established brands that had fallen out of the trend radar – be it because they were deemed “obsolete” or “unappealing” by the new generation of fashionistas, or simply because they failed to gain traction with any new products – have been re-inventing themselves, escalating to the highlands of fashion and once again re-gaining their past glory.

To do this, over the past 5 years luxury fashion houses have been setting in motion three main mechanisms of evolution:

New Logos: minimal is the new black

New Hires: the artists and creative directors driving all this change
New Target Market: Generation Z

Combined with a boom in the streetwear market, the rise of celebrity collaborations, and the power of social media marketing campaigns, these are the luxury houses ranking highest for the top 5 rebrandings of the past 5 Years:

1. Saint Laurent

New Creative Director (2012): Hedi Slimane
New Creative Director (2016): Anthony Vaccarello

Young Yves Saint Laurent via — Young Yves Saint Laurent *via*

The label’s most notorious move of the past decade was undoubtedly dropping “Yves” for their ready-to-wear collection, a decision made by former creative director Hedi Slimane in the aims of reviving the brand’s haute couture stance. Re-vamping under Saint Laurent Paris, the label faced serious backlash back in 2012 from the fashion community, with renown French high fashion boutique Colette creating an entire product line with the slogan “ain’t Laurent without Yves”. Nonetheless, the famous YSL logo was still to remain on accessories, from handbags to lipsticks and shoes.

Founded in 1961 under fashion juggernaut Yves Saint Laurent, “it has been considered one of the world’s most prominent fashion houses and is known for its modern and iconic pieces, such as its tuxedo jackets for women” (via).

Slimane started a revolution within Saint Laurent, pivoting towards “elevated grudge chic and street-worthy riffs on icons like le smoking, all presented via his own black-and-white portraiture of underground musicians wearing his designs and on pyrotechnic rock-show runways” (via). This meant that Anthony Vaccarello had a tough task ahead in stirring the company further into its rebirth, a task which he has undoubtedly proved himself as more than capable to do.

Find out more about the future of Saint Laurent under Vaccarello’s rule here: Vogue

2. Gucci

New Creative Director (2015): Alessandro Michele

Before appointing Michele as new creative director in 2015, Gucci was facing a serious withering of sales, tumbling on the verge of bankruptcy. It wasn’t until the unexpected success of its Fall 2015 “Bloom” campaign that the brand’s fate started to turn, like somewhat of a fashion miracle. Sales skyrocketed, revenue started pouring in, and stores were suddenly flooded with eager customers trying to snatch the latest goods. As noted by Business of Fashion Blog, the story of how the house of Gucci went from “Bankruptcy to Billions” (via) is that of movies and fairy tales.

With an approximate year on year growth of 50% from 2015 to 2016, the Wall Street Journal appoints millennials as the key to Gucci’s sales growth in its article on the fashion miracle (click here to find out more). The brand pivoted 180º from its traditional customer base, targeting younger consumers… and it worked. Michele was able to channel the brand’s core essence, keeping the classic intertwined Gs as a logo for numerous products, while introducing a contemporary fresh spin: new palettes - abundant in youthful pinks, greens and yellows - the animal kingdom symbols (tigers, snakes and bees) as well as re-launching the brand’s beauty line.

Combined with the popular press traction that Gucci gained after its boom, particularly through the music industry and influential figures, the label firmly secures its spot as one of the past 5 years’ top re-brandings.

3. Louis Vuitton

New Artistic Director - Women’s Collections (2013): Nicolas Ghesquière
New Artistic Director - Menswear Collection (2018): Virgil Abloh

One of the world’s oldest and most established fashion titans, Louis Vuitton - often abbreviated as LV - took a very distinct approach when it comes to re-branding. Cutting to the chase, this house of fashion essentially decided it was time to guzzle down a youth potion and be reborn a whole generation younger. Our bartenders? Nicolas Ghesquière and Virgil Abloh.

Ghesquière joined the house back in 2013, with LV hoping to re-vitalise its appearance after suffering losses in the preceding seasons, a task which - according to BoF 500 - he has largely succeeded in. His “sharp aesthetic and innovative craftsmanship at Vuitton has placed the label squarely at the forefront of the industry” (via). Known for its more classical stance, it was undoubtedly refreshing to see LV modernise and appeal to a wider range of generations - much like Gucci - channelling the incoming fashionistas of the 2010s while also retaining its original essence.

Virgil Abloh Men’s FW19 Collection Debut in Chicago via — Virgil Abloh Men’s FW19 Collection Debut in Chicago *via*

When it comes to Abloh, the founder and CEO of Off-White also delivered as promised. He stirred the brand deeper into the rising realm of streetwear, casting a more artistic and expressionist feel over the menswear products. With fashion show headlines from Milan to Paris under his belt, Abloh continued to focus on capturing younger customers, particularly through his famous pop-up stores.

4. Burberry

New Chief Creative Officer (2018): Riccardo Tisci

“Burberry's chief creative officer presents his refreshing take on British identity and fashion” (Vogue). Focussing on Britain’s biggest luxury brand’s traditional beige hues and emblematic Thomas Burberry monogram (also introducing a new take on it!), Tisci opted to re-vamp this fashion house by blending sophistication and modern practicality.

The creator made his debut in 2018, presenting his mammoth collection with items ranging from ready-to-wear to accessories. “Since Tisci joined Burberry last year, the brand has worked with MIA (even persuading the edgy musician to appear in the slightly cheesy format of a Christmas advert) and dressed Gen Z favourites Ariana Grande, Rihanna and Gigi Hadid” (The Guardian). Interestingly and as opposed to some of the other brands, Burberry’s sales were growing steadily year on year. The house’s motivations were therefore mainly creative and innovative when it came to the re-branding decision.

5. Balmain

New Creative Director (2011): Olivier Rousteing

Rousteing, affectionately known as one of the industry’s “fashion disrupters” , was appointed creative director of French brand Balmain in 2011 (yes, in theory this is over the 5 year time period… but his work since has continued to yield huge contributions to the fashion community as a whole, granting his kingdom under Balmain a spot on the list).

Rousteing is close-knit friends with an endless list of A-list celebrities, including supermodels like Cara Delevingne and the Kardashian-Jenner clan. This helped his works become solidly established in the world of fashion, famously the creative’s partnerships with Kim Kardashian. Not to mention his popularity among fellow Balmain co-workers; for instance, when “Olivier Rousteing received a fashion-industry award in New York last month, the designer didn’t accept the award alone. Instead, he took the stage surrounded by models and other members of his Balmain Army” (WSJ). The entourage of positive human relations that the artist fosters has undoubtedly contributed to his position in the industry, projecting onto Balmain’s own stance.

As creative director, Rousteing focused mainly on the ready-to-wear products of the brand, striking a hugely successful collaboration with H&M that amplified Balmain’s presence among both younger consumers and a new bracket of spenders (the collaboration products were much more affordable than their haute couture counterparts). Such was the success of the product line that, during the days following launch, retail employees claimed it was “madness at the mall”. Click here to read more about Rousteing’s aim to broaden the brand’s appeal.