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Last Updated on February 28, 2022
It is not easy for a brand to remain relevant as time goes by, but Guess by Marciano has managed not only do that but to stay true to its roots, alluring, and on-point.
Despite not being an haute couture brand, Guess is as iconic as they come. Together with Versace, Moschino, and Calvin Klein, it lead the way during the 90s when it came to denim or high-end fashion that was effortlessly cool and sexy.
Every year, the brand discovers and hires the next generation of international top model talents to star in their campaigns, while also creating collection after collection of beautiful and stylish garments that manage to remain true to their heritage.
Nowadays, their target audience is aged between 18 to 32, has a high disposable income, and has a huge predilection for brand identity.
They do have to contend with some similar brands that are poaching their buyers with great design, a similar aesthetic, and sometimes more budget-friendly products… Scroll on to find out which 5 brands that resemble Guess made the cut as top competitors!
Contents
Main qualities of Guess
- Medium-luxury
- High quality
- Casually cool
- Sexy and sleek vibe
- Effortless
- Quality and fashionable denim
- Traditional and iconic
- Lower Californian aesthetic
- American heritage
- Sexy Western clothing
- Alluring concept
Most iconic garments from Guess
- Jeans
- Floral dresses
- Sexy tops
#1. Reformation
Overview: Reformation is an American sustainable fashion brand that celebrates women.
Price Range: $$$
Origin and Concept: Yael Aflalo founded the brand in 2009. It originally sold vintage clothing out of Los Angeles. The brand is focused on manufacturing locally and being sustainable. They use recycled and eco-fabrics, as well as clean energy in their factory and they also recycle hangers in-store.
The brand recently launched its RedScale tool to measure the environmental savings of each garment so that every customer can track their own environmental savings. With a bohemian, feminine, edgy, and sophisticated style, it is no wonder that Reformation reminded us of Guess.
Recommended Product(s): Barrett Linen Top & Bucatini Linen Dress + Juliette Dress & Cole Two-Piece
Celebs who are fans: Taylor Swift, Kaia Gerber, Blake Lively, Hailey Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, and more.
Ethical Practices: Reformation is pretty good. For the most part, the brand has very good and transparent sustainability practices. In general strokes, Reformation is proving that creating cute clothes and protecting the Earth is possible!
#2. Nasty Gal
Overview: Nasty Gal is an American retailer that produces fashion for young women in over 60 countries.
Price Range: $$$
Origin and Concept: The brand was originally founded by Sophia Amoruso in 2006, who sold vintage clothing out of eBay. In 2008 the brand opened its own website and quickly scaled its business to match the high demand, opening brick and mortar stores, plus a couple of distribution centers.
It also expanded to selling footwear, apparel, accessories, and intimates. Despite filing for bankruptcy in 2016 and being bought by the British BooHoo Group, it quickly regained its footing and managed to continue its offering of great garments at more or less friendly prices.
Recommended Product(s): Circular Mirror Sequin Mini Slip Dress & Tailored Square Neck Mini Dress + Lace-up Denim Cropped Corset Top & Real Leather & Suede Varsity Jacket
Celebs who are fans: Adele, Amita Suman, Billie Eilish, Candice King, Carey Mulligan, Chrishell Stause, Claire Holt, and Coral Simanovich, among others.
Ethical Practices: The brand does not use eco-friendly materials, and there is no evidence that it has taken any meaningful actions to be more green, either to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions or to safeguard its workers.
#3. Lulus
Overview: Lulus is an American fast-fashion retailer based in California that specializes in affordable luxury.
Price Range: $$
Origin and Concept: The brand was founded in 1994 in northern California, with a focus on vintage clothing. Around 2004 it changed its goal towards selling fun and casual garments internationally.
Nowadays, it offers sophisticated, chic, and modern styles with an emphasis on party or bridal attire. The brand focuses on growing its community with a system of reviews from the clients that guarantee an extra layer of transparency about how their products fit and are styled by real women.
Recommended Product(s): Ruffle My Heart Black Mermaid Maxi Dress & Caught in Cannes Mustard Side Button Midi Skirt + Boldest Blooms Floral Print Maxi Dress & Edge of Style Long Sleeve Asymmetrical Top
Celebs who are fans: Katie Thurston, Katie Thurston, Demi Lovato, Serena Pitt, Abigail Heringer, Juliette Porter, Addison Rae, and others.
Ethical Practices: There is insufficient information about how Lulus reduces its impact on the environment and on people to guess a verdict. However, given that they work on a fast-fashion calendar, it doesn’t look good.
#4. Topshop
Overview: Topshop is a British fashion retailer (owned by ASOS) that sells women’s clothing, footwear, accessories, and makeup worldwide.
Price Range: $$
Origin and Concept: The brand was originally an extension of the department store Peter Robinson, founded in 1946. The department stocked garments from designers like Mary Quant and Gerald McCann.
In 1973, it got separated and became an independent store with a focus on the 13 to 24 age range. Topshop continued to grow and expand, undergoing a huge revival during the 1980s, and later on, becoming a huge sponsor of the London Fashion Week.
It has continued to remain relevant by working with high-fashion designers to develop highly desired capsule collections at budget-friendly prices.
Recommended Product(s): Knit-twist cut-out top in blue & Printed Velvet midi wrap dress in multi + Short fur coat in bright pink & PU & faux fur trim short belted coat in black
Celebs who are fans: Perrie Edwards, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Shay Mitchell, Camila Cabello, Perrie Edwards, and Sophie Turner, among others.
Ethical Practices: Some of Topshop’s supply chain is certified by Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit – SMETA Best Practice Guidance, which is super positive. However, they may be publishing limited information about their forced labor, gender equality, or freedom of association policies.
There is no evidence that it ensures payment of a living wage in its supply chain, which is worrying. Regarding animal welfare, they have banned the use of angora, down, exotic animal skin, and fur in their products. They still use leather, mohair, and wool, which is not bad in itself but they do not provide their source.
We could say that the brand has made some effort to improve its impact on the planet when it comes to using sustainable materials but it still has a long way to go to be considered good.
#5. & Other Stories
Overview: & Other Stories is a Swedish fashion retail brand, owned by H&M and headquartered in Stockholm.
Price Range: $$
Origin and Concept: The brand sells clothing, accessories, and beauty items. Aesthetically, their designs are ageless, inclusive, and very varied. They are also quite reasonably priced! Stories started out as an idea for a beauty brand, but the team behind it pushed for more.
They have three separate design ateliers (Stockholm, Los Angeles, and Paris), each with a particular voice and style. Each one designs inclusively with no overlap with the designers from the other cities, keeping the women of their city in mind, and everything is sold side by side on the website.
Conceptually, they believe that women all over the globe don’t stick to one sense of style, so they like to mix it up and offer as many options as they can.
Recommended Product(s): Double Breasted Trench Coat & Chain Embellished Leather Loafers + Belted Flared Jeans & Cropped Puff Sleeve Top
Celebs who are fans: Whitney Port, Jennifer Lopez, Taeyeon, Priyanka Chopra, Perrie Edwards, Andi Dorfman, and Ashley Benson, among others.
Ethical Practices: With small design ateliers in Stockholm, Los Angeles, and Paris, collaborations with independent designers, and an overall minimalistic approach to production, it looks like the brand is certainly going in the right direction. After a little digging, this H&M-owned brand, uses some eco-friendly materials, like organic cotton, and it has a policy approved by CanopyStyle to prevent deforestation in its supply chain.
Despite that, they still operate like a fast-fashion brand and although they have set a science-target based number to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is no proof they are actively working to get there.
When it comes to socials, they are doing some things right, and some wrong. Almost none of its supply chain is certified by labor standards, but they do publish detailed info on their suppliers and retailers (which is not minor!).
Regarding their use of animal-origin materials, they do not disclose their sources for leather and wool, but they do not use fur, angora or exotic animal products. Overall, I would say they are quite good keeping in mind they are still a fast-fashion brand. Still, if we compare it with others, it’s certainly one of the better ones!
