8 Best Designer Brands for Men in 2024 — Get in the K(Now)

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Luxury. Money. Lifestyle. Luxe. Personal. Rich. Affluent.

Bold.

Substantial.

Designer doesn’t just have to be your clothing — it can emanate your way of life.

Edith Head, an award-winning American costume designer once said, “You can have anything you want in life as long as you dress for it.”

And psychologists seem to agree.

Mary Ellen Roach and Joanne Eicher believe the clothes we put on our bodies are an extremely important way we show who we are to the world and the first thing that the world notices when it comes to social cues.

Yale University conducted a study on male fashion effect on the psyche.

Summary? Men in designer suits negotiated deals and made 10% more of a profit than the men wearing casual clothes.

This is because “dress well, test well” is no joke.

Michael Kraus, the professor ahead of the study, explains that by wearing formal clothes or designer, “you behave more dominantly [and] you compromise less.”

And The Highest Fashion wants that for you.

We want you to feel empowered, dominant and full of strength — we want your potential underscored in your first social cue to the world.

What are Designer Clothes?

So, what are designer clothes? What makes them designer?

There are actually three categories: mass market, prêt-a-porter, or haute couture.

Mass Market

Mass Market fashion is the high-demand fashion for all of the public where the designer clothes are re-created in different colors, fabrics or sizes.

Prêt-a-porter

This type of designer clothing is made for the general public but the designs are a tad more upscale and less mass produced.

Haute Couture

This kind of fashion is custom-made, luxury and quite “elite.” Individualized, Haute Couture is meant for the wearer and the wearer only.

All three categories of designer represent the clothing with labels from the designer fashion houses of the world that are high-quality and regarded as luxury items.

If any of you men live by dictionary definitions, Collins Dictionary defines designer clothing as, “Designer clothing is fashionable or luxury clothing made by, or carrying the label of, a well-known fashion designer.”

What is Considered Designer Clothing?

What is Designer Clothing

A major aspect of designer clothing involves the material that goes into the making of the different garments.

Whether it be silk, cotton, satin, leather, cashmere, tweed, wool, or hem, designer clothing feels designer.

Long-lasting, durable or insulating, these fabrics help provide an outlook and comfort that mass-produced, fast fashion clothing just doesn’t entail.

And designer clothing is defined by the designer label that signifies a company with a reputation, legacy for fine quality items and luxury goods. The mark of a designer is a fashion-house whose name executes renowned legacy for style.

The label, ultimately, becomes everything.

Why Are Designer So Expensive?

Designer clothes are expensive. That is the statement of the century— the higher known the designer, the higher the price tag with the clothes.

This is due to designer clothing being more of an art-form than clothing.

“When you look at the price tag on a luxury brand item, you have to consider what went into this piece from the start,” Vocal reports. “If it’s just a designer t-shirt, you may be paying for the time and energy spent on the brand as a whole.”

Designer brands also spend much of their budgets on marketing, photoshoots and advertising. The magazine spreads of designer watches, suits, shoes or cologne, for designers, are often over the top, statement-making pieces and for famous magazines.

And then there is the brand name itself — that name is really a title and that title is really social status. That means every employee, packaging item, website remodeling, social media post or store decor has to be top notch. There are no cutting corners when it comes to high-end class and if there are, it wouldn’t be designer.

It’s also important to note the high price is what keeps designer, designer. If the prices were as low as Zara, H&M, Uniqlo or other retail brands, the overall aesthetic and social aspect of the high-end company would be lost.

The price tag becomes a sort of rite of passage. Those who want to look good, in a roundabout way, want to pay for it. That rite of passage allows you to feel even more chic and sleek with the clothes on your body. Labels, whether we like it or not, help define our status.

Ultimately, it all comes down to supply and demand. When customers keep buying these suits, dress-shirts, chinos and other clothing for out-of-this-world prices, companies will continue charging those prices. Designer clothes represent a lifestyle of money, money, money.

And, well, money costs money.

Are Designer Clothes Worth It?

Are Designer Clothes Worth It

The Highest Fashion would be remiss to tell you to avoid designer clothes. It would be against our nature to say you should opt for cheap, fast-fashion items that contribute to emissions, micro-plastics in the ocean and unethical treatment of workers in factories.

The Guardian reports that the fashion industry “produces 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year” due to the “cheap clothes bought and cast aside in rapid succession as trends change.”

Designer clothes are made with care, attention to detail and personalized approaches that resemble the lifestyle they aim to showcase: sustained fortune.

And that means not having cheap fabrics. It means supporting fashion that is slim-fit, careful and bold. Fashion that doesn’t seem fresh from the factory but one that feels like it was just stitched by the hands of an Italian hand that planned every collar, every pocket, every nook and cranny of this ensemble.

Long-lasting clothes also save emissions because they last forever. Fast fashion’s greatest culprit is the consumer that washes the polyester shirt over and over, micro-plastics releasing into the water, only to find it’s now full of pills and can’t be worn anymore, a year later.

So, consumers keep buying and buying — leading to scary statistics like this:

“People bought 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000, they only kept the clothes for half as long.” — Business Insider

Buy designer? Those clothes will hang in your closet and be worn on your body until you no longer, personally, want them to.

Designer clothes —when bought not for the season but for the reason that this navy-blue suit or these black Italian loafers will always be in style— provide an aura of ambition, success and fervor for life.

Just go to any high-end household name like Prada, Armani or Valentino. You’ll be coasting in your machismo as you throw on a well-tailored suit or a silk tie or tweed waistcoat with two columns of buttons.

Check out our article that dives deeper into the luxury, formal look of waistcoats!

Designer means knowing and trusting that your clothes are emanating the best qualities of who you are to the outside world, understanding they will be your signature look — one you can always count and rely on.

Are Designer Clothes a Waste of Money?

This is a question many ask themselves as they flip through photo spreads or enter a high-end designer store and take one peek at the price hanging off the fabric.

But the answer is honestly up to you, man!

If you just have money to blow through and order the latest collections of designer brands, you won’t think they are a waste of money but you also won’t indulge or cultivate the love and attention your designer clothes deserve.

Shopping for a designer suit, dress-shirt or dress-pants should be a luxury process in itself. It should be a moment of defining your look, your self-expression and your taste— this should take some attention to detail.

And if you don’t have all this money to spend, it’s especially important to make sure you pick the right suit or designer item so that it’s a purchase you can be proud of— one you can look back on and know the money was worth it.

If you wear that suit for the rest of your life, the price tag proved to be a good ROI (Return on investment!)

What Are Designer Clothing Brands?

To best answer this question, let’s take a look!

Below you will find several of the top-notch men’s fashion designer clothing brands that will visually help shape your vision for what a designer clothing brand really is.

Dolce & Gabanna

Are black and white your favorite colors? Do you like when clothes are playful, casual yet speak volumes to class, to diversity and to prolific individuality? Look no further than Dolce & Gabanna.

These clothes feature stylish prints that seem like they’re pulled from an art museum and have an aura of distinction that only Haute Couture can afford. A man in this brand will be unafraid and unapologetic — ready to show his heart, his soul to the world.

Valentino

If you’re the kind of man that likes delicate clothing, floral patterns or warm hues, Valentino is the designer after your heart.

With his ready-to-wear collection, Valentino offers every-day fashion in a package of high-end, luxury feel whether it be the fabric or the artwork design stitched to the clothing. Every piece of clothing is its own statement — you’ll be the man saying so much without saying anything at all.

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren’s collections are for any man who values tradition, roots and timeless taste. Classic, all-American and preppy, Ralph Lauren knows how to weave a youthful energy into his clothes while retaining the professionalism and high-end feel that makes designer clothes so desired.

Often featuring the red, white and blue style, these clothes covet a nostalgia and a post-card feeling patriotism. A man will always feel like a man in Ralph Lauren.

Balenciaga

Bold. Passionate. There. Balenciaga knows how to grab attention and steal it away with its futuristic ensembles that look expensive.

Edgy, sporty, bright and dominating, this brand’s designs will leave you no question about what you will be showing the world. Your self-expression will be fierce, captivating and, dare we say, enchanting.

Armani

Armani’s collections speak to the serene nature of men with its neutral tones and bold detail, whether it be three buttons on a cuff, tweed three-piece suit or sweaters featuring elegant, soothing designs.

With slick poise and a masculine grace, designer never looked so comfortable, so special.

Prada

Men’s Prada is all about the blend of comfort and pop of color meshing to form a look of complete self-awareness but also passion.

Men in Prada’s collections can feel confident in sporting unique color palettes that still sustain a look of proper sophistication, a sense of retro professionalism. There is character in every sleeve and dimension to every layer.

Dior

Looking at Dior’s men’s fashion, there may be many words flying through your thoughts: free, true, different, essential.

Simple, pure yet commanding, Dior unleashes a man’s style with care, dignity and strength. The confidence and cosmopolitan energy that the clothes give way to become a treasure trove of surrealism that is amazing to behold.

Burberry

Patterns, patterns, patterns — yet all play with shapes in a way no other designer does. Buttons, neutrals and squares are the defining features of Burberry’s men fashion, with each outfit flirting with geometry as much as with style.

Burberry gives off an energy that is collegiate in nature and classy in taste.

Difference Between Designer Clothes and Normal Clothes — How Can You Tell?

Say you don’t know the household names of fashion. Maybe Dolce & Gabanna or Armani sound like pasta terms to you.

How can you tell if an item is designer?

Although we do urge you men to do your research when it comes to designers and high-end fashion — to get to know the names and brand identities you most affiliate yourself with — it’s always good to know how to differentiate the feel of designer with the feel of regular retail.

High-end, designer clothes will always have much higher quality than normal clothes. The stitching, the form-fitting style and the fabric do not compromise.

For a visual tutorial of spotting high-quality clothes to regular clothes, check out this video:

Some quick tricks to spot the difference include:

  • High-end clothes have a much higher price tag
  • Designer clothes (especially new collections) are often only found on the designer’s website or official store
  • Normal clothes from non-designer brands can be at any retailer
  • Designer clothes often have embroidery, unique stitching patterns, hand-made stitching and carry a fitted silhouette
  • Normal clothes appear as every-day wear while designer clothes are specifically meant for big events where fashion is key to success

What Designer Brands Say About You Why do People Buy Designer Brands?

At the end of the day, wearing designer is not just about the clothes but also about the way you carry yourself.

You don’t have to just be a man in an Armani suit — you can be the man in Armani suit: the man that never settles, the man that aims for the best of the best, and the man that never backs down from going after what he wants.

Designer labels are meant to complement your taste and style rather than carry it for you. Wearing designer is just a testament to the zeal and bravado you carry as a man — it is meant to elevate your standards, bolster your ego and accentuate your masculinity.

After all, you deserve it.

Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @thehighestfashioncom wearing your finest designer clothing — and let us know how you feel in designer!