Firsthand perspectives of wealthy U.S. consumers provide detailed rankings of luxury brands’ reputation and prestige in results of the 2011 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) surveys, released today by the independent and objective New York City-based Luxury Institute.
A balance of men and women from households earning at least $150,000 per year evaluated dozens of luxury fashion and shoe designers on quality, exclusivity, status enhancement and ability to create “special” shopping and owning experiences.
Wealthy respondents also ranked each brand on worthiness of a significant price premium, their willingness to recommend it to friends and family, and the likelihood of consideration next time they make a purchase in that category.
Based on overall LBSI scores (1-10), the top luxury brands rank as follows:
Women’s Fashion:
Hermes 7.72
Prada 7.70
Louis Vuitton 7.58
Men’s Fashion:
Brioni 7.66
Ferragamo 7.48
Ermenegildo Zegna 7.47
Women’s Shoes:
Versace 8.06
Christian Louboutin 8.04
Valentino 7.98
“We find that some categories are very predictable with certain brands rating in similar positions over the years. The luxury women’s shoe category is one where fickle consumers rank and rate brands differently over the years,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute.”
The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only unbiased measure of the reputation of leading brands provided by direct insights from wealthy U.S. consumers. Sample households had average annual income of $271,000 and $2.4 million average net worth.