Brands nobody likes
according to y'all
I asked YOU which brands you would never buy again, and this is the list of responses. The most interesting bit about the replies is that some brands scored mentions on the “I would wear this for the rest of my life” and “I am never buying from them again” - which tells you how dramatically different customer expectations and experiences can be.
These are in alphabetical order before anyone asks.
Adidas
The German sportswear brand doesn’t need an introduction.
Alo
Another athleisure brand that CAC’d its way into existence through influencer collabs and paid ads.
APC
The brand has been a shadow of its former glory for a long time according to almost everyone you ask.
Balenciaga
The sneaker brand is still reeling from its PR blunder when it released a campaign that should have never been conceived in the first place - let alone made it into production.
Boss
Another German company. Quality has by all accounts been abysmal with comments stating that seams are coming undone after just a few wears and subpar material quality.
Brunello Cucinelli
Cucinelli is an interesting choice, because most people hail it as the epitome of luxury, while a lot of discerning consumers spot quality control issues, and dislike the use of machine stitching for garments that can be had fully-handmade for half the price.
Burberry
The “everything but the trench is bad” brand just cannot shake its flawed repositioning from premium to luxury.
Calvin Klein
The classic story of growing quickly, launching diffusion lines, increasing margins, dumping excess inventory into outlets, and subsequently losing all the brand equity and relevance a brand once had. Calvin Klein isn’t alone in this, many US fashion companies go this way - Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors Tory Burch, and the list goes on and on.
Canada Goose
Canada Goose is often perceived as overpriced because its MSRPs are now in the realm of diminishing returns. Comparable brands like Woolrich and Moose Knuckle deliver the same or better performance while retailing for hundreds less. The brand does go the extra mile for its products, but the details that incur these costs aren’t what many customers look for or value when buying a high-end down jacket.
Chanel
The ongoing price elasticity exercises that Chanel is conducting have turned away many customers, and yet, the brand is growing on a top-line basis. The brand is generating more revenue from fewer customers - all is well at Chanel ?
Common Projects
This was by far the funniest mention “it’s like a toxic ex to come back to - all looks and no substance”.
Dior
Is it the $50 Dior bag ? Not sure what to say here because their collections are really good, even if the leather goods come at the usual luxury brand premium.
Fendi
This is surprising.
Ganni
From eco-hero to (recycled) plastic peddler. There is currently no brand that has created more virtual connections among creators out of pure disdain than Ganni.
Gant
Historic American preppy style brand that’s been incredibly mismanaged and never knew how to slot in between Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren.
Golden Goose
“The best disposable sneakers”
Gucci
Gucci has always been hit or miss. The quality of its RTW ranged from acceptable but overpriced to well-made tailoring delivered by Zegna and hand-sewn evening gowns.
Hollister
Hollister and its sister brand Abercrombie & Fitch were IT in the 90s and 00s. Sadly those quality standards have declined, and culture has moved on. But those distressed heavy cotton hoodies and jeans were fun to wear.
Jacquemus
The rise of the brand has been in unison with the critique of its quality.
Karl Lagerfeld
The brand has always been more of a cash grab, which is fine, than the embodiment of its namesake founder. While he was involved in the designs, the positioning meant that the quality and price didn’t allow the products to translate into the haute couture pedigree Lagerfeld was known for.
Kenzo
It’s always been more of a fun designer brand, not necessarily something you buy for the workmanship or materials.
Levi’s
How Levi’s has maintained its standing is remarkable. Selling across every conceivable channel, delivering lower shelf quality as well as some of the best small-batch denim on the market. Levi’s can do it all, but fails to effectively communicate what you are getting at each price point.
Louis Vuitton
$16 billion in revenue later, there’s a lot that people still like about LV.
Lululemon
The brand that spawned straight out of a Liz Edelkoort prediction from the 2000s. The brand that has singlehandedly killed the women's denim market. The brand that has made it acceptable to wear workout gear in public.
Mr P.
You never know what you get with Mr P., and that’s its problem. Some items are great value, some are very much of-the-moment designs, all neatly packaged into different patterns each season.
Nike
Just don’t do it.
Off-White
The comment related to the brand’s bad customer service, and my acknowledgment of it gained even more likes than the original comment. This wasn’t the first time that I had come across the brand’s CX shortfalls.
Parajumpers
This wasn’t further specified by the commenter.
Prada
The brand makes good stuff, but it’s a design-first approach.
Rag & Bone
The jeans are apparently bad.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label
“Overpriced for what it is, and not entirely made in Italy”.
Saint Laurent
It takes 0.003 seconds to surface Google results of bad stitch work and faulty items being sold at retail, only to be followed up with bad customer service.
Sandro
It’s been the “cool girl’s” Zara for a long time, but the quality is just as much hit or miss as with every other brand at this scale.
Sezanne
The internet’s favorite brand with increasingly more reports of decreasing quality.
Tiger of Sweden
An investor did their thing and took it from the hot new Scandi brand to being stocked nowhere.
Tommy Hilfiger
Decreasing quality - something that the PVH-owned American preppy brand isn’t immune to either.
Uniqlo
Difficult fits, and inconsistent quality levels, are the perfect ingredients for an increased customer churn recipe.
Versace
We shall see what Prada does with it.
Zara
“Because they copy designs”.
Always interesting to see the whys. Many valid, some silly, others “someone told me it’s not cool anymore.” A few notable now-PE brands (or run like it). A few that are still mostly-good, too. Some fun comments to wade through
Very good list and most of all a reminder of what may have made a brand good when it started may not be there any more.