Dolce & Gabbana: competitors
http://academic.mintel.com/display/754870/?highlight#hit1
Consumer exposure and presence in more accessible markets appears to influence trust in brands, although Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen standout in terms of differentiation, indicating that brands without high usage can still make their mark. These two brands are likely to be particularly associated with being cutting-edge.
Gucci has the highest perception of quality and reputation, which helps to encourage more trust than other brands.
Of these brands, DKNY has the strongest perception of offering value, the highest perception of accessibility and the lowest perception of exclusivity, which may also result in a lower proportion of standout.
Michael Kors stands out as the favourite brand in the list and has one of the highest levels of recommendation and proportion of excellent responses. While it has lower usage than more established brands, usage in the last year suggests that it is increasing its profile.
Burberry is seen as one of the more accessible brands and has relatively high levels of usage for a designer brand– perhaps because of mainstream crossover in markets like fragrances and beauty products. While the brand is perceived as classic and heritage, it also has negative connotations with being boring and tired.
Consumers aged under 35 are the most engaged with any of these designer brands, showing a preference for Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry.
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Gucci is worth paying money for. Gucci leads the way across a number of different metrics including reputation, perceived quality, and perceived style. This appears to help influence a high proportion of trust from those who have heard of it, and excellent reviews and recommendation from those who have ever used the brand. Gucci is seen as a brand worth paying more for and is consistently high quality. It is closely associated with being authentic whilst also being stylish. Gucci's strong brand image has been helped by the use of well known celebrities in its campaigns, for example Kate Moss helped create the buzz around the brands Jackie bag.
Gucci earns a positive following from a wide age group, with 16-44's viewing it as a brand they trust, while all all age groups see it as a brand with good reputation. Women are more likely than men to associate it with positive traits such as fun, vibrant and engaging.
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Micheal Kors is highly recommended. Michael Kors stands out as the favourite brand in the list and has one of the highest levels of recommendation and proportion of excellent responses. Overall it has lower usage than more established brands, but usage in the last year suggests that it is increasing its profile. The brand has done well from a trend for its more affordable Michael Michael Kors handbags and watches. High levels of recommendation point to a brand with potential for further growth. Michael Kors enjoys more trust than the very high fashion brands, but lower than the designer labels that have traditionally enjoyed more exposure to consumers.
Michael Kors is strongly associated with being a fun and engaging brand, which is trendy and cool. It has created a popular lifestyle brand with a broad assortment of products from handbags, shoes, watches and jewellery to eyewear, which all feature an obvious gold MK branding.
Michael Kors tends to earn a particularly strong positive brand image from young consumers aged between 16 and 34, reflecting the higher usage among them. This positive image extends to a greater perception of fashion-related attributes as well as a greater perception of trust and reputation. However, it is the youngest shoppers aged under 25 who are most inclined to see it as a brand that sets trends, is of high quality and makes them feel confident. These young consumers are the demographic that associates Michael Kors with the most positive traits such as vibrant, fun and engaging, whilst still being accessible. However, they are less likely than average to view the brand as exclusive.
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DKNY seen as most accessible. DKNY is seen as particularly accessible among consumers as well as offering good value. Alongside this it has low exclusivity. This might influence its low level of standout compared to the more exclusive brands. It still has the third highest proportion of recommendation among consumers.
Young consumers aged 16-24 are the most drawn to this brand and see it as being the most accessible, whilst also associating it with traits such as fun and vibrant.
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Dolce & Gabbana seen as overrated. Dolce & Gabbana is noted for quality and reputation, reflecting its status as a high-fashion designer label. However this ultra-high fashion image also promotes certain negative traits among some consumers. For example, Dolce & Gabbana has a slightly higher proportion of consumers who describe it as disappointing and overrated compared with other brands, despite having strong quality associations.
As with many other brands in this market, consumers under 35 tend to be the most positive about Dolce & Gabbana, although over-45s are the most likely to note it as a quality and classic brand. Despite this, preference is still stronger among 16-34s, indicating where most of the brand’s usage is likely to come from in the foreseeable future.
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Burberry viewed as a classic. Burberry is seen as one of the more accessible brands and has relatively high levels of usage for a designer brand– perhaps because of mainstream crossover in markets like fragrances and beauty products. The brand is perceived as classic and heritage due to its products such as trench coats and the well-known Burberry print that is used on scarves and bags. Nevertheless, it also has strong connotations with boring or tired, all of which appears to encourage a weaker perception of being cutting-edge than other brands in the market. This suggests that while the brand has succeeded in turning itself into a stylish luxury brand, it has a stronger consumer association with functional traits, like being durable or comfortable than links with being vibrant.
Women are more inclined to associate Burberry with positive brand traits than men. Consumers aged under 35 are the most committed to this brand, describing it as their favourite or they show a preference for it. Younger consumers are the main drivers of Burberry’s positive brand image, while over-35s are inclined to associate it with negative traits.
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Alexander McQueen has a high standout appeal. Alexander McQueen is one of the brands more noted for setting trends, suggesting that consumers are particularly aware of its high fashion proposition and its catwalk designs. The brand manages to create a high proportion of standout appeal despite not having a high level of active engagement from consumers. This is likely to have been helped by the V&A’s record-breaking exhibition, Savage Beauty, which retrospectively celebrated the late designer’s work, with the designer label now run by creative director, Sarah Burton.
The brand is strongly perceived as being cutting-edge, something it shares with Vivienne Westwood. Alexander McQueen however has less of an image of being overrated. The brand’s latest campaign features its new logo as McQ, with the remainder of the brand blacked out, with the aim of showing a new creative and cool identity.
Alexander McQueen earns a more positive brand image from consumers aged under 35 who are most likely to see it as a fun and engaging brand, as well as cutting-edge.
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Vivienne Westwood seen as cutting edge. Vivienne Westwood is another brand with high fashion, exclusive associations and is seen as setting trends by consumers. For this reason, it is seen as being particularly aspirational and is able to stand out as much as other brands with a higher proportion of active engagement from consumers. It is seen as a cutting-edge brand, that has strong connotations with being fun and vibrant and this is likely to be driven by collaboration with Virgin Atlantic, which saw the designer create the airline’s new crew outfits, as well as the designer’s iconic sense of style. Despite this, just over a quarter of those that have heard of the brand describe it as overrated, the highest of any brand.
Women are significantly more likely than men to view Vivienne Westwood in a positive light and to use traits such as fun and vibrant to describe the brand. Younger consumers aged under 35 are the most inclined to see it as a brand with a good reputation, consistently high quality and that sets the trends.
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Stella McCartney's strong link with ethics. Stella McCartney has a stronger perception of caring about the environment and being ethical than other brands. The designer prides herself on being an ethical company, which does not use any animal products and supports sustainable fashion through participation in H&M’s new Clevercare labelling that educates consumers in how to take care of their clothes with less washing. The brand also uses organic cotton in its products where possible and is experimenting with eco materials.
Alongside the other high-fashion brands it has lower usage, although it is perceived as a brand with a good reputation and this could be due to collaborations with Adidas for sportswear. In January 2015 it launched Stellasport with Adidas, which is aimed at younger consumers than the original collection is aimed at and features, clothing, footwear and accessories.
Stella McCartney has a more positive brand image among consumers aged 25-34, who are most likely to describe it as fun and vibrant and the brand’s collaboration with Adidas could help it to engage more strongly with this demographic.
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Consumers aged under 35 are the most engaged with any of these designer brands, showing a preference for Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry.
Gucci has the highest consumer perception of quality and reputation, which helps to encourage more trust than other brands. Its strong brand image has been helped by the use of well-known celebrities in its campaigns, for example Kate Moss helped to create a buzz around Gucci’s Jackie Bag.
Michael Kors stands out as the favourite brand in the list and has one of the highest levels of recommendation and proportion of excellent responses. While it has lower usage than more established brands, increasing usage in the last year suggests that it is growing in popularity.
Burberry is seen as one of the more accessible brands and has relatively high levels of usage for a designer brand– perhaps because of mainstream crossover in markets like fragrances and beauty products. While the brand is perceived as classic and heritage, it also has negative connotations with being boring and tired.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gucci and Prada are the most desirable luxury fashion brands among women. Young women are most drawn to Prada, with 16% of females aged 16-24 desiring the brand, and are drawn to Burberry for clothing. Women aged 25-44 show a preference for Gucci. Meanwhile Armani and Ralph Lauren stand out as the most desirable luxury brands for clothing, driven by demand from young male consumers.
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Micheal Kors is the handbag brand of choice among under 25's
Young women show a preference for Michael Kors, with 17% of females aged 16-24 desiring to own a handbag by the designer and 23% aspiring to own a Kors watch. While Louis Vuitton is the most desirable luxury handbag brand among women overall, its popularity is skewed towards older females aged 35-54, with 21% aspiring to own the brand.
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What Mintel think:
Designer fashion brands need to look at ways of attracting a new younger demographic of Millennials who aspire to buy their brands, without losing the exclusivity that is part of the appeal of owning a luxury label. There is scope for brands to appeal to younger trend-led consumers with more affordable sub-brands such as Versace’s Versus by Versace or through collaborations with high street retailers such as Balmain and H&M, thereby helping to get their names recognised among fashion-conscious shoppers who may continue to show loyalty to the brand as their spending power increases.
Expanding into more accessible fashion accessories is also a good way for a designer brand to connect with future shoppers and more brands are adding handbags, footwear, jewellery and watches to their portfolios. There is always potential for brands to create new product categories and in particular for brand extensions featuring fashion accessories that would appeal to younger demographics such as mobile phone cases and head phones. The shift to younger consumers has nevertheless created new challenges for luxury brands and it is imperative for brands to invest in the digital arena in order to build stronger relationships with customers that will engage and excite them, as well as foster long term loyalty. Designer brands need to find ways to integrate digital technology as part of the evolution of the whole brand experience. Burberry is an example of a luxury brand that has turned itself into one of the leading digital innovators in the world of retail, merging the in-store experience with the online through the use of large screens and interactive mirrors in its stores and through a seamless customer journey whether people are shopping in-store or online.
Consumer exposure and presence in more accessible markets appears to influence trust in brands, although Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen standout in terms of differentiation, indicating that brands without high usage can still make their mark. These two brands are likely to be particularly associated with being cutting-edge.
Gucci has the highest perception of quality and reputation, which helps to encourage more trust than other brands.
Of these brands, DKNY has the strongest perception of offering value, the highest perception of accessibility and the lowest perception of exclusivity, which may also result in a lower proportion of standout.
Michael Kors stands out as the favourite brand in the list and has one of the highest levels of recommendation and proportion of excellent responses. While it has lower usage than more established brands, usage in the last year suggests that it is increasing its profile.
Burberry is seen as one of the more accessible brands and has relatively high levels of usage for a designer brand– perhaps because of mainstream crossover in markets like fragrances and beauty products. While the brand is perceived as classic and heritage, it also has negative connotations with being boring and tired.
Consumers aged under 35 are the most engaged with any of these designer brands, showing a preference for Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gucci is worth paying money for. Gucci leads the way across a number of different metrics including reputation, perceived quality, and perceived style. This appears to help influence a high proportion of trust from those who have heard of it, and excellent reviews and recommendation from those who have ever used the brand. Gucci is seen as a brand worth paying more for and is consistently high quality. It is closely associated with being authentic whilst also being stylish. Gucci's strong brand image has been helped by the use of well known celebrities in its campaigns, for example Kate Moss helped create the buzz around the brands Jackie bag.
Gucci earns a positive following from a wide age group, with 16-44's viewing it as a brand they trust, while all all age groups see it as a brand with good reputation. Women are more likely than men to associate it with positive traits such as fun, vibrant and engaging.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micheal Kors is highly recommended. Michael Kors stands out as the favourite brand in the list and has one of the highest levels of recommendation and proportion of excellent responses. Overall it has lower usage than more established brands, but usage in the last year suggests that it is increasing its profile. The brand has done well from a trend for its more affordable Michael Michael Kors handbags and watches. High levels of recommendation point to a brand with potential for further growth. Michael Kors enjoys more trust than the very high fashion brands, but lower than the designer labels that have traditionally enjoyed more exposure to consumers.
Michael Kors is strongly associated with being a fun and engaging brand, which is trendy and cool. It has created a popular lifestyle brand with a broad assortment of products from handbags, shoes, watches and jewellery to eyewear, which all feature an obvious gold MK branding.
Michael Kors tends to earn a particularly strong positive brand image from young consumers aged between 16 and 34, reflecting the higher usage among them. This positive image extends to a greater perception of fashion-related attributes as well as a greater perception of trust and reputation. However, it is the youngest shoppers aged under 25 who are most inclined to see it as a brand that sets trends, is of high quality and makes them feel confident. These young consumers are the demographic that associates Michael Kors with the most positive traits such as vibrant, fun and engaging, whilst still being accessible. However, they are less likely than average to view the brand as exclusive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DKNY seen as most accessible. DKNY is seen as particularly accessible among consumers as well as offering good value. Alongside this it has low exclusivity. This might influence its low level of standout compared to the more exclusive brands. It still has the third highest proportion of recommendation among consumers.
Young consumers aged 16-24 are the most drawn to this brand and see it as being the most accessible, whilst also associating it with traits such as fun and vibrant.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dolce & Gabbana seen as overrated. Dolce & Gabbana is noted for quality and reputation, reflecting its status as a high-fashion designer label. However this ultra-high fashion image also promotes certain negative traits among some consumers. For example, Dolce & Gabbana has a slightly higher proportion of consumers who describe it as disappointing and overrated compared with other brands, despite having strong quality associations.
As with many other brands in this market, consumers under 35 tend to be the most positive about Dolce & Gabbana, although over-45s are the most likely to note it as a quality and classic brand. Despite this, preference is still stronger among 16-34s, indicating where most of the brand’s usage is likely to come from in the foreseeable future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Burberry viewed as a classic. Burberry is seen as one of the more accessible brands and has relatively high levels of usage for a designer brand– perhaps because of mainstream crossover in markets like fragrances and beauty products. The brand is perceived as classic and heritage due to its products such as trench coats and the well-known Burberry print that is used on scarves and bags. Nevertheless, it also has strong connotations with boring or tired, all of which appears to encourage a weaker perception of being cutting-edge than other brands in the market. This suggests that while the brand has succeeded in turning itself into a stylish luxury brand, it has a stronger consumer association with functional traits, like being durable or comfortable than links with being vibrant.
Women are more inclined to associate Burberry with positive brand traits than men. Consumers aged under 35 are the most committed to this brand, describing it as their favourite or they show a preference for it. Younger consumers are the main drivers of Burberry’s positive brand image, while over-35s are inclined to associate it with negative traits.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alexander McQueen has a high standout appeal. Alexander McQueen is one of the brands more noted for setting trends, suggesting that consumers are particularly aware of its high fashion proposition and its catwalk designs. The brand manages to create a high proportion of standout appeal despite not having a high level of active engagement from consumers. This is likely to have been helped by the V&A’s record-breaking exhibition, Savage Beauty, which retrospectively celebrated the late designer’s work, with the designer label now run by creative director, Sarah Burton.
The brand is strongly perceived as being cutting-edge, something it shares with Vivienne Westwood. Alexander McQueen however has less of an image of being overrated. The brand’s latest campaign features its new logo as McQ, with the remainder of the brand blacked out, with the aim of showing a new creative and cool identity.
Alexander McQueen earns a more positive brand image from consumers aged under 35 who are most likely to see it as a fun and engaging brand, as well as cutting-edge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vivienne Westwood seen as cutting edge. Vivienne Westwood is another brand with high fashion, exclusive associations and is seen as setting trends by consumers. For this reason, it is seen as being particularly aspirational and is able to stand out as much as other brands with a higher proportion of active engagement from consumers. It is seen as a cutting-edge brand, that has strong connotations with being fun and vibrant and this is likely to be driven by collaboration with Virgin Atlantic, which saw the designer create the airline’s new crew outfits, as well as the designer’s iconic sense of style. Despite this, just over a quarter of those that have heard of the brand describe it as overrated, the highest of any brand.
Women are significantly more likely than men to view Vivienne Westwood in a positive light and to use traits such as fun and vibrant to describe the brand. Younger consumers aged under 35 are the most inclined to see it as a brand with a good reputation, consistently high quality and that sets the trends.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stella McCartney's strong link with ethics. Stella McCartney has a stronger perception of caring about the environment and being ethical than other brands. The designer prides herself on being an ethical company, which does not use any animal products and supports sustainable fashion through participation in H&M’s new Clevercare labelling that educates consumers in how to take care of their clothes with less washing. The brand also uses organic cotton in its products where possible and is experimenting with eco materials.
Alongside the other high-fashion brands it has lower usage, although it is perceived as a brand with a good reputation and this could be due to collaborations with Adidas for sportswear. In January 2015 it launched Stellasport with Adidas, which is aimed at younger consumers than the original collection is aimed at and features, clothing, footwear and accessories.
Stella McCartney has a more positive brand image among consumers aged 25-34, who are most likely to describe it as fun and vibrant and the brand’s collaboration with Adidas could help it to engage more strongly with this demographic.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumers aged under 35 are the most engaged with any of these designer brands, showing a preference for Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry.
Gucci has the highest consumer perception of quality and reputation, which helps to encourage more trust than other brands. Its strong brand image has been helped by the use of well-known celebrities in its campaigns, for example Kate Moss helped to create a buzz around Gucci’s Jackie Bag.
Michael Kors stands out as the favourite brand in the list and has one of the highest levels of recommendation and proportion of excellent responses. While it has lower usage than more established brands, increasing usage in the last year suggests that it is growing in popularity.
Burberry is seen as one of the more accessible brands and has relatively high levels of usage for a designer brand– perhaps because of mainstream crossover in markets like fragrances and beauty products. While the brand is perceived as classic and heritage, it also has negative connotations with being boring and tired.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gucci and Prada are the most desirable luxury fashion brands among women. Young women are most drawn to Prada, with 16% of females aged 16-24 desiring the brand, and are drawn to Burberry for clothing. Women aged 25-44 show a preference for Gucci. Meanwhile Armani and Ralph Lauren stand out as the most desirable luxury brands for clothing, driven by demand from young male consumers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Micheal Kors is the handbag brand of choice among under 25's
Young women show a preference for Michael Kors, with 17% of females aged 16-24 desiring to own a handbag by the designer and 23% aspiring to own a Kors watch. While Louis Vuitton is the most desirable luxury handbag brand among women overall, its popularity is skewed towards older females aged 35-54, with 21% aspiring to own the brand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Mintel think:
Designer fashion brands need to look at ways of attracting a new younger demographic of Millennials who aspire to buy their brands, without losing the exclusivity that is part of the appeal of owning a luxury label. There is scope for brands to appeal to younger trend-led consumers with more affordable sub-brands such as Versace’s Versus by Versace or through collaborations with high street retailers such as Balmain and H&M, thereby helping to get their names recognised among fashion-conscious shoppers who may continue to show loyalty to the brand as their spending power increases.
Expanding into more accessible fashion accessories is also a good way for a designer brand to connect with future shoppers and more brands are adding handbags, footwear, jewellery and watches to their portfolios. There is always potential for brands to create new product categories and in particular for brand extensions featuring fashion accessories that would appeal to younger demographics such as mobile phone cases and head phones. The shift to younger consumers has nevertheless created new challenges for luxury brands and it is imperative for brands to invest in the digital arena in order to build stronger relationships with customers that will engage and excite them, as well as foster long term loyalty. Designer brands need to find ways to integrate digital technology as part of the evolution of the whole brand experience. Burberry is an example of a luxury brand that has turned itself into one of the leading digital innovators in the world of retail, merging the in-store experience with the online through the use of large screens and interactive mirrors in its stores and through a seamless customer journey whether people are shopping in-store or online.
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