Cow to pronounce the name of a designer or a brands? If you too have asked yourself this question at least once, then this mini-guide is right for you. Famous brands and their founders or designeras also happens with many famous actors or singers, often fall victim to a small linguistic problem, especially when they are foreign names that we don’t quite understand how to “approach”. Names that often, in common speech, end up becoming famous due to their mispronunciation or adaptation to their native language.
You may have heard advertisements for on the radio accaemmeyes, H&M itself (which has become Italianized to familiarize itself with customers) or to make fun of Versaciiii pronounced by many Anglo-Saxons in place of Versace. Or even searching on Google for a simple “how to pronounce it” and discovering that, among the most common searches, well-known names such as Tommy Hilfiger and Nike appear.
The world of fashion is full of words and names that can be misleading and which, if you are true enthusiasts, you must know how to pronounce in the right way.
But what is the right way? We’ll tell you, as we discovered it by carrying out various online searches. From listening to interviews where i designer they present themselves or the CEOs of a certain one brands they name it, to the use of computerized tools that reproduce the correct pronunciation, up to watching videos of native speakers who reveal the correct pronunciation.
We did it for several well-known names, but starting from a small fundamental word. A little word that you do not say fescion. Look, and hear, how to pronounce it…
Fashion
Let’s start with the key word, the much abused English term that means fashion and which is used universally, even in Italian. Fashionhowever, is a word that is often, more than you think, said in the wrong way. You do not say fe-scion Indeed, but fa-shn.
Alaïa
Fashion sculptor, considered one of the geniuses of the Eighties, Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaïa passed away in 2017, leaving a great legacy in the hands of today’s creative director Pieter Mulier. A legacy that also involves passing down the brand name correctly. Indeed it is not Alaia as we often hear. The correct name is Á-la-ia.
Balmain
Balmain, a brand founded in 1945 by Pierre Balmain, is a logo that we are used to seeing around often. And we are used to hearing it, and even admitting to saying it, like this: Bal-men. Nothing could be further from reality, because the correct pronunciation is Bal-mah (with an n practically absent at the end).
Burberry
Brand leader of English fashion, Burberry may seem really easy to say. Of course, if you pronounce it Barberi or Bur-beriboth versions are incorrect. The correct pronunciation is as follows: Buh-buh-ri.
Cartier
Jewelery paradise with a history that goes beyond a century, the maison Cartier has always been Parisian leader and a point of reference in the sector. It comes naturally to pronounce the name as you read it, because the French R can be a little complicated, but the correct name is not Kar-tier and neither Kar-tie: the correct version And Kahr-ti-aywithout final R.
Christian Louboutin
His red-soled shoes have become unmistakable. What is confusing, it seems, is the correct pronunciation of his surname. Footwear designer Christian Louboutin and his iconic shoes pumps Indeed they are not called Lobo-ten or Lobu-tenas we often hear. The correct pronunciation is Loo-boo-tahn.
Givenchy
Among the many French brands that are subject to some small distortions, one cannot miss the one founded by Hubert de Givenchy in 1952. Brand that is not called Thu-Fri-Ski or Ji-van-shee: the correct name is Jee-von-shee.
Hedi Slimane
His is one of the most talked about names in the world fashion system. especially now that he has left his position as creative director of the Celine brand, creating gossip and expectations about his future work. It must be said that it is also one of the names that are most incorrectly pronounced. It’s not called Hedi Slimein (as mostly English and Americans say) but Edi – with silent h – Sliman.
Jacquemus
His is one of the names of the moment, strong the perhaps now dormant gossip that he would like him as the heir of Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard at Chanel. Regardless of upcoming or simply boasted assignments, Simon Porte-Jacquemus runs his own very successful and pop brand. A brands That it’s not called Jacquemus (pronounced with an initial G) o Jacquemu: in the correct name, also explained in a nice video on the official profile of the brand, it is Jhak-muswith a nice final s.
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Loewe
It is one of the most popular brands of the moment but it has a long history and, above all, a name that can create some small uncertainty at first glance. The fact that it was founded by the Spaniard Enrique Loewe may cause even more confusion, but the German origin of this surname can easily dispel any doubts: the correct pronunciation is Low-eh-veh.
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Louis Vuitton
We have dealt with several big French names, but this is one of the thorniest ones to put it that way. As simple as it may seem, the famous brand of monogram LV it is not pronounced Luis Vuitton. The correct pronunciation is Him (without final s) Vui-tòn.
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Nike
A lot could be written about how to pronounce the name of one of the greatest sportswear giants. For us Italians the unmistakable swoosh brand has always been said literally naik. But although the name derives from the mythological Nike, the goddess of victory whose name would be pronounced Nicheaccording to one of its founders Phil Knight, the correct pronunciation (in American English) And Nai-key. Well yes, it’s not even Nai-ki.
Tommy Hilfiger
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As anticipated at the beginning of this article, the name of the American designer and the brand of the same name is the most searched among the fashion phrases on Google. And as you will see it is much simpler than expected. You do not say Tommy Hailfaigher butbaldly, Tommy Hilfig-r (just as you write, eating a little there And at the end of the surname).
Uniqlo
It hasn’t arrived in Italy for long, but this Japanese brand, which is a godsend for lovers of affordable basic items, has already been reinterpreted in terms of name. In fact, if you thought that it was said exactly as it was written, you were very wrong. You do not say U-niqlomuch less Uniqlò: the most common, Englishized pronunciation is Yu-ni-qlo, but the real one, Japanese style, would be Yu-ni-qrò.
Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
