Introduction
In the world of high fashion, Burberry vs Gucci has been contrasted for their different ways of doing luxury apparel. Burberry vs Gucci provokes the image of the iconic Burberry trench coat with its distinct white, black, tan, and red check patterns juxtaposed with the two opposing G’s of Gucci and its prominent green and red bands.
In this article, we will look at the two brands and compare the two brands to one another. The following sections of this article are:
- Burberry
- Gucci
- Burberry vs Gucci
The Burberry Brand
Founded in 1856 by the British clothing retailer Thomas Burberry in Basingstoke, UK, Burberry sold clothes to help people cope with the harsh weather of the British Isles and beyond.
In the bid to meet customer demand for clothes that can endure harsh weather conditions, he invented a textile called gabardine, the world’s first lightweight, breathable waterproof, weatherproof, and tear-proof fabric in 1879. He patented the new material in 1888. The material helped the brand gain success and recognition, including a British Royal Warrant used in historic expeditions to Russia and the Arctic Circle by explorers (including Dr Fritjof Nansen, Major F.G. Jackson, Sir Enet Shackleton, and Roald Amundsen).
Burberry opened its first London store in the Haymarket in 1891. It later opened its first international store in Paris in 1909.
Burberry introduced its famous Equestrian Knight logo in 1901. The Burberry brand has endured several fashion epochs by adapting to the times. It changed this logo to its current form in 2018.
Burberry creates clothes and accessories that follow international trends, presenting a modern, sustainable, neutral, and universal aesthetic. It represents the global zeitgeist in clothes and fashion. This way, it can continuously attract new clients attracted by Burberry’s solidarity with modern trends. Their coats and other outerwear (e.g., scarves) have attained cult status among fashionistas and celebrities.
The Burberry Logo
The new Burberry logo was designed by the renowned graphic designer Peter Seville. The design is simple, understated, and unmistakable. Peter Seville also worked on a ‘TB’ monogram design for the brand’s new identity. ‘TB’ is a reference to the initials of Thomas Burberry, the company’s founder. Its previous logo included an equestrian with a charging horse and the Latin word ‘Prorsum’ (meaning ‘forward’). It described its ruggedness, durability, forward momentum, and use as outdoor wear in expeditionary travels. Its new logo is a simple reference to its origins and its founder.
What Burberry stands for
In the introduction to its new monogram collection in 2018, Burberry spoke to four specific types of clients: “the lady, the gentleman, the girl and the boy.” It is an appeal to the universality of the Burberry brand across age and gender. It typifies simplicity, ruggedness, and iconic yet contemporary fashion. Similarly, its history and use in expeditions symbolize durability, inventiveness, adaptability, conservation, and environmental sustainability. It is a luxury brand conscious of its place in the world and the contemporary culture in which it finds itself. It is one of Interbrand’s top 100 most recognizable brands globally.
Ownership
The company was family-controlled until 1955, and it
became a publicly-traded company on the London Stock Exchange in 2005.
Creative Director
Following Christopher Bailey’s revamp of the Burberry brand, Riccardo Tisci was appointed as Burberry’s chief creative officer. Previously, Riccardo was creative director at Givenchy.
The Gucci Brand
Established in 1921, Gucci was founded by Guccio Gucci. It is one of the oldest and most iconic Italian fashion brands. Gucci started as a luggage manufacturer for Italy’s upper-class. It also produced equestrian equipment. It then extended into all sorts of leather goods, knitwear, silk wears, handbags and shoes.
Gucci experienced increasing levels of success, starting in the 1950s. They became synonymous with wealth and opulence, especially among the celebrity class and the super-rich. The death of Guccio Gucci did not stop the growth of the company. Guccio’s three sons, Aldo, Vasco, and Rodolfo, took over the company’s management. They introduced luxury accessories to the product line, including their iconic eyewear line.
After the passing of the three brothers, Maurizio Gucci, Rodolfo’s son, took over the business. He struggled to maintain the company’s string of successes. In 1990, Tom Ford was hired to join Gucci as a designer on the ready-to-wear label. He was later instrumental in turning Gucci around as its creative director. He reduced the brand’s product lineup, clarified its identity, and restored the luxury and extravagance of the label. Tom worked at Gucci till 2004.
The Gucci Logo
The Gucci logo was designed by Aldo Gucci, son of the company’s founder. The two G’s are a direct reference to the initials of the founder, Guccio Gucci. They are a simple yet powerful reminder of the significance of the company’s founder.
What Gucci stands for
Gucci has entered the common lexicon as a symbol of doing well. It is immensely popular and well-represented in songs, movies, and as slang for luxury. It is featured in performances by famous artists like Cardi B and Kanye West. Gucci is viewed as a symbol of boldness, luxury, abundance, and opulence.
Gucci is so famous it has had to fight off waves of counterfeit products all over the world. It is recognized as one of the top luxury brands globally.
Ownership
Kering, a French luxury group, currently owns Gucci. Kering also owns Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, and Yves Saint Lauren.
Creative Director
The current creative director for Gucci is Alessandro Michele. In previous times, Michele had worked with Fendi and Tom Ford. Michele had also served in several roles at Gucci before becoming creative director. These include Leather Goods Design Director and an associate to Frida Giannini, the creative director who took over from Tom Ford.
Burberry vs Gucci
Range of products
Burberry is primarily known for its high-quality trench coats. Burberry’s other goods designed and distributed include footwear, leather goods, eyewear, fashion accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances.
Gucci is more readily known for a wide range of products, including handbags, footwear, ready-to-wear product lines, accessories, makeup, and fragrances.
While Burberry vs Gucci focuses on two different items as their signature products, respectively, it is possible to create a wardrobe of clothes from each brand’s lineup of products, from underwear to fragrance. Gucci has more kinds of products in its lineup for customers to choose from of the two brands.
Company size
The following table shows some vital statistics that give us a sense of the size of Burberry compared to Gucci for the last full year for which data is available.
Metrics:
Burberry
- Number of employees; 9,892
- Number of locations: 421
- Revenue: £ 2.63 billion
- Operating income: £ 189 million
- Net income: £ 122 million
Gucci
- Number of employees: 17,157
- Number of locations: 487
- Revenue: €9.62 billion
- Operating income: N/A
- Net income: N/A
From the metric above, it looks like Gucci is twice as big as Burberry in the number of employees and three times as big in revenue.
So, we can conclude this section by saying Gucci is significantly bigger than Burberry.
What they stand for
Burberry has built an image of solidarity with various groups and initiatives. As a result, it is famous for its promotion of environmental sustainability initiatives. This image is part of the brand’s public persona. Burberry is also renowned for its durability and its contemporary luxury appeal. It’s for those who want to have a luxury fashion experience without losing touch with the issues of their time, whether that is expeditions to the ends of the world, circumnavigation, justice, or environmental sustainability.
Gucci wears its luxury lifestyle image boldly. Its name and brand are synonymous with class and wealth. Gucci is famous for its style and is very popular because of its appeal to wealth, class, and luxury. Gucci is an aspirational brand for celebrating wealth, achievements, and upward mobility in the upper echelons of society.
Statista estimates Burberry’s brand value at 3.9 billion euros at about one-tenth of Gucci’s brand value at 33.84 billion US dollars.
Social media
Both Burberry and Gucci have a significant social media presence. The table below shows their number of followers on different social media platforms.
Burberry
Gucci
In 2006, Burberry committed to becoming the world’s first digital luxury brand. This initiative was spearheaded by the CEO at the time, Angela Ahrendts. Burberry has since cultivated a uniform look across social media platforms while taking advantage of each platform’s unique features. For example, it uses Facebook’s live stream features, minimalist photos for Instagram, and thoughtful messages on Twitter. It posts once every 2 to 4 days on Facebook. It posts simple, beautiful pictures every day on Instagram and enjoys good engagement there. Burberry uploads an average of 5 posts on Twitter, with each post receiving thousands of comments, retweets, and likes.
Overall, Burberry understands and uses social media platforms more than most luxury brands. However, Burberry does not engage fans on its social media pages. This is a blind spot that can make the brand feel aloof even as it is trying to present itself as a modern luxury brand.
Gucci posts much more often than Burberry on all social media platforms, thus receiving more impressions and engagements from users.
Prices
The next step in our comparison involves comparing similar items from their official websites, www.burberry.com and www.gucci.com.
Official Burberry price (USD)
- Trench coat : 1,990
- Medium tote (leather) : From 1,450
- Medium tote (canvas) : From 1,490
- Men’s backpack : 1,250
- Silk square: From 430
- Scarf: From 470 (cashmere)
- Sneakers: From 470
- Sunglasses: From 230
- Folding wallet: 460
Official Gucci price (USD)
- Trench coat : 3,500
- Medium tote (leather) : From 1,350
- Medium tote (canvas) :From 1,350
- Men’s backpack : 1,350
- Silk square: From 170
- Scarf: From 495
- Sneakers: From 690
- Sunglasses: From 375
- Folding wallet: 490
Gucci products are, in general, more expensive than Burberry products of the same type.
Customer perception
Gucci has a significantly higher NPS score than Burberry. NPS surveys show that Burberry has an equally large number of promoters and detractors (41% and 42%, respectively). This indicates that Burberry generates polarizing emotions among customers and non-customers alike. This may be because part of Burberry’s brand engages with contemporary issues even though it is a brand steeped in the British tradition. This contrasts sharply with Gucci’s brand image, which retains its luxury, heritage leanings and does not engage with political issues.
Distribution / Where to buy
The following are different places where you can get Burberry vs Gucci items of your choice, respectively.
Burberry
- Official website
- Boutique shops
- Burberry outlets
Gucci
- Official website
- Designated outlets
Conclusion
Burberry appeals to lovers of a conscious lifestyle. You will be rewarded with a durable item with a universal style. If you want a classic style that will serve you for a long time to come, choose Gucci. The overall brand perception of the two companies will be significantly influenced by their increasing or decreasing socio-political sentiments about issues like environmental sustainability.
