Brioni most prestigious luxury men's fashion brand

Worn by Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, actor Gary Cooper, and US property magnate Donald Trump, Italian label Brioni takes the crown when it comes to prestige in men's style, according to a US survey.

Brioni was rated the most prestigious luxury men's fashion brand by a narrow margin in the 2007 Luxury Brand Status Index survey from the independent New York-based Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com).

Italian high-fashion rival brands Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna tied for second place while Ferragamo was rated third.

"This is the first time men's luxury fashion brands have been rated by wealthy consumers," said Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury institute, in a statement.

"This category is highly competitive, with many brands seeking the same client. Interestingly, each brand has key strengths, but no brand dominates on all the critical luxury metrics. Since women influence, and, in many instances, make men's fashion purchases, this survey is comprehensive in that it focuses on ratings by both genders. Rich and revealing comments from wealthy consumers as to why they will or will not recommend each brand combine with the ratings to deliver the best qualitative and quantitative research in this impartial annual tracking survey."

The online survey by the Luxury Institute involved over 1,500 wealthy Americans.

All the brands rated (in alphabetical order) included: Armani, Brioni, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Canali, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ermenegildo Zegna, Faconnable, Ferragamo, Gucci, Hart Schaffner Marx, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, Tommy Bahama, Versace, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Brioni
The privately-owned company Brioni Roman Style, founded in Rome in 1945, boasts that its suits take at least 18 hours of work and are hand-stitched. Customers can choose from more than 5,000 difference fabrics.

Ready-to-wear Brioni suits are sold through Brioni stores as well as upmarket retailers internationally while custom-tailored suits can carry a price tag of around.

The company also sells casual clothing and carries a small range of women's apparel.

About the Luxury Institute
The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings and research institution that is the trusted and respected voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary publications and research that guides and educates high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge trends, high net-worth consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands, and best practices. The Luxury Institute also operates the Luxury Board (www.luxuryboard.com), the world's first global, membership-based online community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and entrepreneurs. To reach the Luxury Institute, please call 646-792-2669 or go to www.luxuryinstitute.com.