by Leonore Dicker
 
Designer labels often have peculiar or obscure names. While we all love wearing their designs, we don’t always know how to pronounce their names, nor what they actually mean.
 
Ever wondered why Acne chose such a curious name? And Rag & Bone such an unusual one? Find out here. 
 
Acne Studios
We don’t know about you, but when we think of acne, we don’t picture fashion – but unfortunate skin. The Swedish brand, founded by Jonny Johansson in 1997, apparently deliberately chose such a name, as that was what the nineties were all about. Acne actually stands for the acronym “Ambition to Create Novel Expression”.




Alice + Olivia
When we hear Alice and Olivia, we picture two incredibly cool twenty-something chicks chitchatting about their next collection, when the label is in fact currently only designed by one person: Stacey Bendet Eisner. Eisner first launched the brand with Rebecca Matchett in 2002 and both ladies named it after their mothers.




BCBGMAXAZRIA
BCBG –which was created in 1989 by Max Azria– is an acronym for the Parisian term “Bon Chic, Bon Genre” meaning “good style, good attitude”. This goes hand in hand with Azria’s own description of the brand as a “true combination of European sophistication and American spirit.”




Comme des Garçons
“Comme des garçons” is a French term, which translates as “like the boys”. The Japanese brand –launched in 1969 by Rei Kawakubo– picked this name as it suited their designs that continuously defy the divisions between femininity and masculinity.




Marchesa
Created by Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman, Marchesa is known for its exquisite gowns. 20^thcentury Italian heiress Luisa, Marchesa Casati –who once famously said, “I want to be a living work of art”– inspired the founders into fashioning this high-end label.




Proenza Schouler
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez founded this womenswear and accessories label in 2002. They chose to play tribute to their mother, as Hernandez’ mother’s maiden name is Proenza and McCollough’s mother’s is Schouler. Funnily enough, both have admitted that the brand’s name is one of their biggest regrets.




Rag & Bone  
Founded in 2002 by Nathan Bogle and Marcus Wainwright, Rag & Bone has quite an interesting story behind its name. The famous skinny jeans label was actually named after a “rag-and-bone” man, an old British term describing a scavenger who’d travel around in search of scrap metal, unwanted furniture and anything else he could resell. This actually makes sense, seeing as the brand is all about ingenuity and conservation.




Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s original family name was Lifshitz, but he changed it to Lauren when he was 16, as other kids used to make fun of him. Ralph picked Lauren as it was similar to “Lawrence”, which was the name his cousin chose when he changed his. Imagine a world where we’d all be wearing Ralph Lifshitz: it wouldn’t quite be the same, would it?