The Designer Pronunciation Guide
Written by: Cassandra White
- Anna Sui:
- An-na Swee, not Soo-ee
- Balenciaga:
- Bah-len-see-ah-ga
- Balmain:
- Bal-mah
- Burberry Prorsum:
- Por-some not Pror-some (the first ‘r’ is silent)
- Byblos:
- Bib-loss
- Carolina Herrera:
- If, in her presence, you don’t put the ‘ee’ in your ‘ina’, as in Ca-ro-lee-na, Ms. Ay-reh-ra (rolled ‘r’) will correct you.
- Chanel:
- Sha-nel
- Chloé:
- The French would say: Clo-ay, though we say: Clo-ee. No one says Chuh-loe-ee or Chuh-low. That’s just silly.
- Christian Dior:
- Kris-tee-ohn Dee-or, not Dye-or
- Christian Lacroix:
- Kris-tee-ohn La-kwah
- Christian Louboutin:
- Kris-tee-ohn Loo-boo-ta (‘ta’ as in ‘tan’)
- Comme des Garçons:
- Com deh Gar-soh
- Donna Karan:
- It is NOT ka-RHAN. Just Karen.
- Dolce & Gabbana:
- Doll-chey and Gah-BAH-nah
- Emilio Pucci:
- EH-mee-lio Poo-chee
- Ermenegildo Zegna:
- Air-menah-jil-do Zen-ya
- Fendi:
- Fen-dee
- Gianfranco Ferré:
- Jyan-franco Fair-reh (say it like an Italian – it helps)
- Giorgio Armani:
- Pronounced the way it looks, just roll your ‘r’s.
- Givenchy:
- Zhee-von-shee. The first ‘g’ is not a hard ‘g’ as in ‘give’. It is more of a softer ‘j’ sound’.
- Gucci:
- Goo-che
- Guy Laroche:
- Gee La-rosh (hard ‘g’)
- Hermès:
- Er-mez or for extra snootiness Air-mez
- Hervé Léger:
- Er-veh Leh-zheh
- Issey Miyake:
- Ee-say Mih-yak-kee
- Jean-Charles de Castelbajac:
- Zhoh-Shar deh Casel-bah-zhah
- Jean Paul Gaultier:
- Zh-ahn, Paul, Go-tee-ay
- Loewe:
- Loh-veh
- Louis Feraud:
- Loo-wee Feh-roh (very slient ‘r’)
- Louis Vuitton:
- Loo-wee Vwee-ton
- Martine Sitbon:
- Mah-teen Si-boh
- Missoni:
- Mis-SOH-nee
- Miu Miu:
- Myu-Myu
- Moschino:
- Mos-kee-no, NOT Mos-chee-no
- Nicolas Ghesquiere:
- Nik-ol-ah Guess-key-air
- Pierre Cardin:
- Pee-yeah Kah-dah
- Ralph Lauren:
- It is NEVER lor-EN as in Sophia Loren. It is Lauren as in the name Lauren.
- Salvatore Ferragamo:
- Sal-vah-toh-ray Fer-ah-gah-moh (roll the ‘r’)
- Thierry Mugler:
- Tee-air-ee Moog-lay
- Versace:
- Ver-sah-chee
- Yves Saint Laurent:
- Eaves-sahn Lore-rahn
