According to Brand Finance’s annual report published in 2020, Louis Vuitton and Gucci were named the two most valuable luxury bag brands. The value of each brand has increased more than 20% if compared to 2019, which currently make them the most recognizable and preferred brands in the apparel sector. In this article we will make a thorough comparison of these two luxury fashion houses in order to answer a simple question – which brand is better: Louis Vuitton vs Gucci?
We have made in-depth study of both brands and looked at them closely from different points of view: style, price, durability, and many more. If you don’t have any preferences yet, this article will help you make a choice. Are you ready to find the brand that suits you most?
Let’s get started!
Louis Vuitton vs Gucci: Brand History
The first thing to explore is the history of these two fashion houses. Both brands are considered to be iconic and legendary in their countries and across the globe. Let’s make a side-by-side comparison!
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Louis Vuitton |
Gucci |
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Country of origin: France Year of foundation: 1854 (127 years) |
Country of origin: Italy Year of foundation: 1921 (100 years) |
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Brief history: LV is a classic of French fashion. Throughout the history of its existence, luxury goods have been designed to meet the needs of high-class society. The sign on the very first LV workshop in Paris read: “Specializing in packing fashions”. Being initially the manufacturer of luggage trunks, later Louis Vuitton started to produce small leather accessories, like handbags and wallets. Gradually expanding its line and influence, the brand merged with two leading French companies Hennessy and Moët et Chandon (manufacturers of cognac and champagne respectively) into LVMH group, which is considered to be an unshakable symbol of power, status, and luxury. |
Brief history: Guccio Gucci, the founder of the company, started his business reselling imported leather luggage. At the same time, he opened a small workshop to produce his own goods. During war times, when leather materials were hard to find in the country, Gucci had to be inventive: new materials, like wood, cotton and fabric were introduced. However, the quality remained the same excellent. In 1999, the fashion house became a part of the Kering group (which was known then as PPR). Unlike LV, with its love for consistency and time-tested patterns, Gucci was (and still is) more into experimenting and creation. Since the mid-90s the brand has been gradually rising in value and gaining success among millennials and youth. |
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Main features: LV is a brand for truly conservative people. The fashion house is known for its respect for traditions and heritage. For example, handbags with iconic prints and silhouettes invented more than 70 years ago are being manufactured every year and immediately swept off the shelves. Most importantly, they never go out of style. |
Main features: despite its fame and 100-year history, the golden age of Gucci started with the appointment of Alessandro Michele as the creative director of the company. The Italian designer never ceases to amaze the fashion society with his ideas, making Gucci profit increase with each year, and turning it into one of the most influential brands of modern times. However, the brand didn’t lose its Italian chic. As Alessandro himself says, “Luxury is freedom, and time…and being courageous.” |
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Interesting fact: due to several decades of expertise and collaboration with the most talented designers and artists, each collection of LV is unique and has a specific story.
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Interesting fact: Gucci was declared “the hottest brand on the planet” in the third and last quarters of 2020 by the List Index.
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Reputation: LV has established itself as a fashion house known for its durable goods, timeless chic, and elegant style. Throughout the years, the fame and glory of this brand only increase. |
Reputation: Gucci is almost 70 years younger than LV, and can’t boast the same unshakable reputation. It had its highs and lows. Moreover, designers of Gucci have a tendency to target different types of audiences. |
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Focus on: heritage, history, traditions, collaborations with famous artists, and giving a new life to iconic patterns.
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Focus on: innovations, creativity, modern approach to fashion, and absence of stereotypes.
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If you’re a conservative person with a love for timeless elegance and brands with history, then Louis Vuitton is a perfect choice for you. If you are a fan of experiments and novelty, brave and bold style, then the Italian creativity of Gucci is what you need.
Meanwhile, let’s see what items both brands offer!
Louis Vuitton vs Gucci: Range of Items
Louis Vuitton and Gucci started by selling luggage trunks and leather accessories. However, as the businesses grew, the range of products gradually expanded, too. Now, both brands offer a wide selection of different items from jewelry and watches to fragrances and clothing. What have we found when scrolling through their websites?
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Louis Vuitton |
Gucci |
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Handbags Small leather goods Accessories (including sunglasses, scarves, belts, phone cases, and gloves) Travel bags Clothes (including swimwear) Shoes Watches Toys and furniture (including decor) Fragrances and candles |
Handbags Clothes (including lingerie and sportswear) Accessories (sunglasses, belts, scarves, pantyhose, and socks) Shoes Watches and jewelry Decor for the house (tableware, home accessories) Makeup
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Major specialization: the fashion house is mostly known for its purses. Despite a large range of products for a luxury lifestyle, the main attention of the brand is devoted to purses. Even a person, who knows little of the fashion world, can recognize the famous prints immediately.
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Major specialization: the fashion house offers a new approach to dressing, and every item listed on the website is accompanied by the most suitable additions for creating a luxury look. We can see that Gucci pays more attention to clothes, making a revolution in the way modern fashionistas should dress. It is widely supported by young and dynamic people, who use Gucci creative clothing to highlight their individuality. |
Although Louis Vuitton has established itself as a brand known for the high-quality leather accessories, it is constantly working to meet the needs of the true lovers of the brand. That’s why if you want to treat yourself with luxury pajamas or sneakers, you have such an opportunity. However, the world is obsessed with the handbags made by the fashion house, and that is for the reason. You can find out more details about it in our article: Why Do People Buy Luxury Bags: Psychology Behind Chic.
On the other hand, Gucci is known mostly for its unusual and fresh looks, while purses serve just as a nice addition to the outfit and don’t have a cult status, as the majority of LV models.
When it comes to investing in luxury purses, if you’re choosing what to buy: Louis Vuitton vs Gucci, then LV is your choice. The prices only go up each year, and the purse can be resold later. Here is Why You Should Invest in Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM Right Now.
However, we do believe that Gucci will gain even more success in the next several years. That’s why we recommend you not to postpone your first purchase. If you’re looking for a purse, check out Which Gucci Bag To Buy First If You Want Classics: Top 3 Most Iconic Gucci Bags.
It is also possible to make money with apparel. With the growing popularity of the Italian luxury brand and a modern tendency for sustainable living, you can easily get rid of your old clothing and get some cash! Be sure to check our article How To Make Money By Selling Your Old Stuff On Social Media to learn more.
Before that, find some time to select the items you don’t like or don’t wear anymore. We have already shared some tips on How To Clean Out Your Designer Closet And Make Extra Cash
And we’re moving further with our Louis Vuitton vs Gucci battle!
Louis Vuitton vs Gucci: Prices
Now, it is time to compare the cost of the items of these two luxury brands. Of course, we, at Bagaholic, are more interested in bag prices, but we thought it would be fair to select several pieces for analysis.
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Item
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Official LV price, $
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Official Gucci price, $
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Tote (canvas) |
From 1,460 |
1,350 |
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Tote (leather) |
2,260 |
1,980 |
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Zip wallet (canvas) |
570 |
550 |
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Men’s backpack (canvas) |
2,270 |
2,100 |
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Bumbag (canvas) |
1,760 |
From 780 |
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Sunglasses |
From 475 |
From 465 |
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Sneakers |
From 815 |
From 690 |
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Tank top |
405 |
490 |
You can see that in most cases, Louis Vuitton is a bit more expensive than Gucci. When it comes to purses, the cost of a luxury item made by the French fashion house can actually be astronomical. However, there’s always an opportunity to purchase the desired item cheaper at consignment stores. For example, we, at Bagaholic, have several iconic accessories in stock – stylish Monogram canvas Neverfull MM, or quilted leather Gucci Marmont waist bag.
Louis Vuitton vs Gucci: Style
Another important thing for fashionistas in deciding which brand is better: Louis Vuitton vs Gucci is the style. When purchasing a luxury purse, it’s vital to get one that would match most of your outfits and fit your lifestyle.
So now let’s have a closer look at the styles of both brands.
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Louis Vuitton |
Gucci |
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Style: formal, elegant, classical, retro.
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Style: modern, creative, bold, young, bright. |
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Ad campaigns: Each campaign of the French brand tells a story of a high-class society and is filled with elegant looks, gorgeous landscapes or venues, and top-rated celebrities. In 2018, it was the Ibiza beach for the “Spirit of Travel” campaign. In 2017, the streets of Paris became the background for gorgeous photos (because nothing can reflect the style of LV better than the French capital). In 2020, the ad campaign took place in Park Lane Hotel in London, a place with almost one hundred-year-old history.
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Ad campaigns: the latest campaigns of the Italian fashion house only prove the tendency to target young audience. It’s both the setting and the stars that participate. For example, shooting an ad campaign in Disneyland is clearly a great move for the brand. There were campaigns featuring farmer-punks in a surreal, mythological world or paying homage to teen movies of the 80s. Moreover, Gucci invites celebrities popular among youngsters. |
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Celebrities who participated in campaigns: Without any doubt, LV works with highest-paid Hollywood stars and models. Among them are Emma Stone, Alicia Vikander, Michelle Williams, Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie, and Gisele Bundchen. |
Celebrities who participated in campaigns: Tom Hiddleston, Harry Styles, Ni Ni, A$AP Rocky, Iggy Pop and members of the K-pop bands. |
As we can see, completely different approaches to style and presentation allow these brands to gain the love of their target audience. While LV fans can admire the laconic and chic elegance, Gucci lovers are attracted by vivid and bright lifestyle, not being afraid to stand out from the crowd.
Louis Vuitton vs Gucci: Social Media
Now, let’s see how each brand interacts with its audience. In the modern world, it’s a vital factor for each business. We learn the latest news and updates from social media. How Louis Vuitton and Gucci feel about technologies?
It goes without saying, that both companies are present in the most popular social media – Instagram and Twitter. Let’s check their numbers and activity there!*
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Louis Vuitton |
Gucci |
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Instagram: 44.1m followers Twitter: 7.7m followers |
Instagram: 44m followers Twitter: 6.1m followers |
As we can see, both brands have almost the same amount of subscribers on Instagram. Posts, videos, and stories appear on a regular basis and get thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. Both fashion houses use social media to advertise their new collections and releases, to attract attention to the brand with the help of celebrities (for example, this post of Gucci has got more than 737,000 likes*, because Harry Styles was featured in it), but as we can notice they do not interact with the audience.
*the data was gathered in April 2021
Louis Vuitton vs Gucci: Celebrities
Nothing can promote the brand better than a celebrity, carrying a purse with a logo in the hands. If we put aside the ad campaigns, which the artists are paid for, and look at the photos of paparazzi from the streets and official ceremonies, we can notice that some celebrities have made their choice. Let’s find out who is in the Gucci gang or who belongs to the Louis Vuitton club!
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Louis Vuitton |
Gucci |
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The Beckhams Rihanna J Lo Bradley Cooper Sara Jessica Parker Lady Gaga Madonna Cristiano Ronaldo |
Billie Eilish Harry Styles Jared Leto Kendall Jenner Beyonce Dakota Johnson Margot Robbie Meghan Markle |
Louis Vuitton vs Gucci: Where To Buy
If you already made up your mind and want to add a lovely purse of either Louis Vuitton or Gucci to your collection, you certainly want to know where you can purchase the coveted item. Luckily for everyone, there are no problems with shopping in the 21st century. No matter where you live (huge city or countryside), no matter how much you earn, you still can get a luxury purse in your collection!
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Louis Vuitton |
Gucci |
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Online on the official website In a local boutique Pre-loved in our store |
Online on the official website In the closest boutique Outlets Pre-loved in our store |
The difference here is that it is possible to buy some of the old Gucci items in the official outlets. This fashion house makes seasonal discounts on their goods, while LV cares too much about the exclusivity of the brand and never discounts their items. If you are interested in which other brands have outlets, be sure to check out our list of Luxury Designer Outlets: Where to Buy a Luxury Purse Cheaper in the USA.
However, if you can’t afford a handbag for the full price or live far away from an outlet, you can always treat yourself with a pre-loved purse. Be sure to check our shop, as we offer the most iconic models in great condition.
Which Brand Is Better: Louis Vuitton vs Gucci
Both brands appear to be at the top of luxury lifestyle. However, we can see that they aren’t following the same path and have a completely different approach to their range of products, target audience, and advertising. Moreover, even the idea behind each brand is unique: while LV keeps proving that everlasting classics will never be out of style, and the bag silhouettes invented more than a century ago are still in high demand, Gucci continues experimenting with fashion, showing us that it can adapt to any generation and any concept.
If you were hesitating which brand is better: Louis Vuitton vs Gucci, now you know more about each brand and can make a decision based on multiple factors. No matter which side you choose to take, we hope you will be satisfied with your purchase!
Buying a second-hand purse, always make sure that the chosen handbag is 100% real and was crafted by a skilled artisan. You can start Louis Vuitton authentication by checking its date code (or serial number as after referred to) order our professional Louis Vuitton authentication service. It doesn’t cost much, but it will give you a peace of mind once and forever.
If you need to authenticate a Louis Vuitton/Dior/Gucci item, please order one of the three types of authentication:
- good when you need a certificate for any reason,
Certificate of Authenticity $25
- good when you need a certificate for any reason, either to sell the bag with the peace of mind or to return a fake bag to the seller if you purchased a fake
- includes a permanent certificate on lvbagaholic.com
Certificate of Authenticity with a thorough explanation $50
- good when you need a certificate and you need to know why the bag is authentic/not authentic for any reason, either to sell the bag with the peace of mind or return a fake bag to the seller if you purchased a fake.
- includes a permanent certificate on lvbagaholic.com
- includes an explanation of why the item is fake (detailed pictures and comparisons with an authentic bag, more than 10 pics included)
PLEASE CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS BELOW
