Business owners across the world have made fortunes in the luxury clothing industry – with some of the most famous names being worth billions. Prada, a renowned Italian fashion house founded in 1913 by Mario Prada, is a lavish brand that specalises in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. In 2024, Prada was valued at a huge $8.3 billion (approximately £6.4 billion) and its global recognition has managed to earn it a title of one of the top 10 luxury brands in the world.
Another fashion house that has made a name for itself globally is Italian brand, Gucci, founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration and its success has led it to be at a staggering value of $23.8 billion (around £18.3 billion). Both brands over the years have managed to be amongst the names which have dominated the industry. However, there is one luxury brand that is valued tens of billion of pounds more than not just one of the companies but both.
Founded in 1854, in France’s capital, Louis Vuitton is considered as the world’s most expensive brand with a value of a jaw-dropping $130 billion (£100.3 billion), making it worth a whopping £75.6 billion more than both Prada and Gucci combined. The fashion label has a varied product line ranges from luxury bags and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes, perfumes, watches, jewellery, accessories, sunglasses and even books.
What you will also find on the majority of its sold products is the brand’s iconic LV mongogram, which gives Louis Vuitton its unqiue identity drawings millions of clients over the years. The leading international brand operates in 50 countries, boasting over 460 worldwide but also sells products via its website.
Louis Vuitton is part of the LVMH group founded by Bernard Arnault – the world’s richest man. The luxury good conglomerate control around 60 subsidiaries that manages 75 luxury brands including Givency, Fendi, Celine and Marc Jacobs.
However, out of all the companies it boasts, Louis Vuitton isremains the biggest with specific products that have been popular for decades. Its iconic bags include the Speedy bag which was introduced in 1930.
A Speedy bag on the brand’s UK website ranges between £2,940 to £1,400. The brand describes the accescory as “a timeless model from the Maison. Effortlessly sophisticated.”
The Neverfull MM tote bag dressed in the LV monogram and introduced in 2007 “unites timeless design with heritage details,” as per the website and goes for £1,410.