c




Giorgio Armani



 (born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his
menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in
1974, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy,[1] with an
annual turnover of $1.691 billion, and a personal fortune of $5 billion.[2]

2. Gucci






, better known simply as Gucci, is an iconic Italian fashion and leather
goods label. It was founded by Guccio Gucci (1881 ± 1953) in Florence in 1921.[1] Gucci is
considered one of the most famous, prestigious, and easily recognizable fashion brands in the
world.[2] The House of Gucci is part of the Gucci Group which belongs to the French
conglomerate company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR).

Gucci generated circa US$8.2 billion worldwide of revenue in 2008 according to BusinessWeek
magazine and climbed to 45th position in the magazine's annual "Top 100 Brands" chart created
by Interbrand.[3] Gucci is also the biggest-selling Italian brand in the world.[4] Gucci operates
about 425 stores worldwide and it wholesales its products through franchisees and upscale
department stores.[5]






1921


 

Florence, Italy

Guccio Gucci, Founder






Patrizio di Marco, President & CEO,
Frida Giannini, Creative director


 

Consumer Goods



Textile - Apparel clothing







8.2 billion ¼
3. Adidas

 (pronounced 
 A often
 di dԥs/ in English, FWB: ADS) is a
German sports apparel manufacturer and part of the Adidas Group, which consists of Reebok
sportswear company, TaylorMade-adidas golf company, and Rockport. Besides sports footwear,
the company also produces other products such as bags, shirts, watches, eyewear and other sports
and clothing related goods. The company is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and
the second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world, to its US rival Nike[3]

The company's clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif
is incorporated into Adidas's current official logo. The company revenue for 2008 was listed at
¼10.799 billion and the 2007 figure was listed at ¼10.299 billion, or about US$15.6 billion.




1924 (registered in 1949)[1]



 
Adolf Dassler


 

Herzogenaurach, Germany

Herbert Hainer (CEO), Erich Stamminger






(CEO, Adidas Brand), Hans Friderichs (Chairman
of the supervisory board)

Clothing and consumer goods


 

manufacturing

Footwear, accessories, sportswear, sports



equipment







¼10.799 billion (2008)[2]


 


Ÿ ¼1.070 billion (2008)[2]





Ÿ ¼642 million (2008)[2]
 Î



38,980 (2008)[2]






Ëike




 (pronounced
naki/) (NYSE: NKE) is a major publicly traded sportswear and
equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered in Beaverton,
Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of
athletic shoes and apparel[2] and a major manufacturer of sports equipment with revenue in
excess of $18.6 billion USD in its fiscal year 2008 (ending May 31, 2008). As of 2008, it
employed more than 30,000 people worldwide. Nike and Precision Castparts are the only
Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state of Oregon, according to The Oregonian.

The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and
Philip Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. in 1978. The company takes its name from Nike
(Greek ȃȓțȘ pronounced   ), the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products
under its own brand as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding and
subsidiaries including Cole Haan, Hurley International, Umbro and Converse. Nike also owned
Bauer Hockey (later renamed Nike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008.[3] In addition to
manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown
name. Nike sponsors many high profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the
highly recognized trademarks of "Just do it" and the Swoosh logo.




1972[1]

William J. "Bill" Bowerman



 

Philip H. Knight


 

Beaverton, Oregon, United States






Worldwide

Philip H. Knight





(Chairman)

Mark Parker
 (CEO) & (President)

Sportswear

 

Sports equipment

Athletic shoes
Apparel


Sports equipment
Accessories







Ÿ US$ 18.627 billion (a
)


 





Ÿ US$ 2.199 billion (a )







Ÿ US$ 1.883 billion (a
)

 



Ÿ US$ 12.443 billion (a
)

 



Ÿ US$ 7.825 billion (a
)

Î



30,200 (a
)





ºeebok









 is a producer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories and
is currently a subsidiary of Adidas. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a
type of African antelope or gazelle. The company, founded in Bolton, United Kingdom, in 1898,
was originally called g
FOSTEº & SOËS but was renamed 

 in 1958. The company's
founders, Joe and Jeff Foster, found the name in a dictionary won in a race by Joe Foster as a
boyA the dictionary was a South African edition, hence the spelling.




1895, Bolton, England


 

Canton, Massachusetts, USA

 
 

Sportswear and Sports Goods

Footwear


Accessories
Sportswear

!




Tommy Hilfiger
 
" 

 (born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and founder of
the brand Tommy Hi

March 24, 1951 (age 58)

ÿ


Elmira, New York, U.S.A.

 

American

Î 

Elmira Free Academy



Tommy Hilfiger

7. Gianni Versace


founder



#
 
(December 2, 1946 ± July 15, 1997) was an Italian fashion designer and
of Gianni Versace S.p.A., an international fashion house, which produces accessories,
fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the
theatre and films, and was a friend of Elton John, Sting, and Princess Diana among many others.
Openly gay, Versace and his companion Antonio D'Amico were regulars on the international
party scene. Versace was murdered outside his Miami home at the age of 50 by spree killer
Andrew Cunanan.




#
 

ÿ

December 2, 1946
 Reggio Calabria, Italy

July 15, 1997 (aged 50)

´


Miami Beach, Florida, United States

 

Italian



Versace

$














 (pronounced /tæg h;ԥ/ in English) is a Swiss watchmaker known for its sports
watches and chronographs. It is a division of luxury goods company LVMH. The company
motto is "Swiss Avant-Garde Since 1860".




1860 by Edouard Heuer


 

La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

Jean-Christophe Babin,
President & CEO






Jack W. Heuer,
Honorary President


 

Watch manufacturing

Wristwatches, timing devices/systems,



fashion accessories

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton

 



S.A.
Ã %& 

The %& 
 is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company[2] and is headquartered
in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France. L'Oréal has developed activities in the
field of cosmetics, concentrating on hair colour, skin care, sun protection, make-up, perfumes
and hair care. L'Oréal is active in the dermatological and pharmaceutical fields. L'Oréal is also
the top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States.

L'Oréal is a listed company, but the founder's daughter Liliane Bettencourt, who is one of the
richest people in the world, and the Swiss food company Nestlé each control over a quarter of the
shares and voting rights.




1909



 

Eugène Schueller


 

Clichy, France

Jean-Paul Agon (CEO), Lindsay Owen-

Jones (Chairman of the board), Liliane






Bettencourt (Non-executive director and major
shareholder)


 

Cosmetics







¼17.54 billion (2008)[1]


 


Ÿ ¼2.725 billion (2008)[1]





Ÿ ¼2.064 billion (2008)[1]

Î


67,660 (2008)[1]

 è  


See below

10. '


(ÿ

)

'


(ÿ

)




Division of Daimler AG




1881



 
Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz


 

Stuttgart, Germany






Dieter Zetsche, CEO


 

Automotive industry

Automobiles
Trucks


Buses
Engines

 



Daimler AG

*
 

Mercedes-Benz.com

'


(ÿ

) is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is
currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG), after
previously being owned by Daimler-Benz. Mercedes-Benz has its origins in Karl Benz's creation
of the first automobile in January 1886,[1] and by Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm
Maybach's conversion of a carriage by the addition of a petrol engine the same year. The
Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. The first
Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl
Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company.[1] Mercedes-Benz has
introduced many technological and safety innovations that have become common in other
vehicles several years later.

cc





 Î



è



Privately held company

1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis





in London


 

Geneva, Switzerland

Bruno Meier (CEO)







Michael Elms (CFO)


 
Watch manufacturing



Wristwatches, accessories







USD $3 billion (2003)

Î



6,000 (estimate as of 2005)

*
 


www.rolex.com



è is a Swiss manufacture of wristwatches and accessories. Rolex watches are popularly
considered status symbols.[1][2][3][4] Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far,
producing about 2,000 watches per day, with estimated revenues of around US$ 3 billion
(2003).[5] BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex #71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most
valuable global brands, top among all watchmakers.[6]

12. ´

+
 


´

+
 




Privately held




1985


 

Milan, Italy

Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana,







D.Gelfond


 

Fashion



Clothing, footwear, handbags.

Î


3,150

*
 


www.dolcegabbana.it

´

+
 
( ) is an Italian luxury fashion house. [1]

The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana and is
based in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was ¼750 million.[2]

13. 

,´


 Private company,



subsidiary of Volkswagen Group
(FWB Xetra: NSU)




Zwickau, Germany 1909 [1]



 

August Horch


 

Ingolstadt, Germany

×roduction locations:
Germany:

Ingolstadt & NeckarsulmA




Hungary: GyőrA
 

Belgium: BrusselsA
Brazil: CuritibaA
China: ChangchunA
India: Aurangabad






Worldwide

Rupert Stadler
Chairman of the Board of Management,






Martin Winterkorn

Chairman of the Supervisory Board (Volkswagen

AG)


 

Automotive industry



Automobiles, Engines







Ÿ ¼ 33.617 billion (2007) [2]
 

Ÿ ¼ 2.915 billion (2007)

 



37.0%[citation needed]

Î



53,347 (2007)

quattro GmbH,
è  


Lamborghini S.p.A.,
Audi Hungaria Motor Kft

*
 


Audi.com

,´
, (Xetra: NSU) is a German Volkswagen subsidiary which produces cars under the
 brand, (pronounced

). The name Audi is based on a Latin translation of the last
name of the founder August "Horch", itself the German word for ³hear." Another explanation for
the origin of the name is as an acronym for ³Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt."

Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany and has been an almost wholly-owned
(99.7%) subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen AG) since 1964. Volkswagen Group
incorporated Audi when it was acquired as part of Volkswagen's purchase of the Auto Union and
NSU Motorenwerke AG (NSU) assets.

Audi's corporate tagline is ors×rung durch Technik, meaning "Advantage through Technology".
The German-language tagline is used in many European countries, including the United
Kingdom, and in other markets, such as Latin America, Oceania and parts of Asia including
Japan. The North American tagline is "Innovation through technology", but in Canada the
German tagline ors×rung durch Technik is now used in advertising.

14. ÿ'*

ÿ 
 

'


*


ÿ'*





Aktiengesellschaft (FWB: BMW)




1916
 
 

Munich, Germany

Norbert Reithofer (CEO and Chairman of Board

of Management)






Joachim Milberg (Chairman of Supervisory
Board)


 

Automotive industry



Automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles







¼56.02 billion (2007)[1]


 


Ÿ ¼4.212 billion (2007)[1]





Ÿ ¼3.135 billion (2007)[1]

Î


107,500 (2007)[1]

´ 


BMW Motorrad

è  


Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

*
 


bmw.com

ÿ 
 

'


*


 (info) (ÿ'*), (English: ÿavarian Motor Works) is a German
automobile and motorcycle manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its
performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent
company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

15.

è 
+
-



è 
+
-




Private




1853


 

San Francisco, California

Jerry Gurien, CEO & President of







LS&CO


 

Clothing

*
 


http://www.levi.com

Levi Strauss & Co.
LS&CO


 



 





.


..




%






/



.





c$

.





è 
 


ÿ   




è


 
- 







.

 





 %

business. Although the company began producing denim overalls in the 1870s, modern jeans
were not produced until the 1920s. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with
employee ownership and a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants
and relatives of Levi Strauss' four nephews.

16. ´

ÿ



´

ÿ






Privately held company




1888
 

 

Cecil Rhodes


 

Johannesburg, South Africa






Worldwide

Nicky Oppenheimer, Chairman







Gareth Penny, Managing Director

Exploration, mining and trading of


 

diamonds



Diamonds

Diamond marketing and promotion.

è


Community development.







Ÿ US $6.5 billion (2005)







Ÿ US $554 million (2005)

Î



approximately 20,000

*
 


www.debeersgroup.com

´

ÿ

 and the various companies within the De Beers Family of Companies engage in
exploration for diamonds, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond
manufacture.

De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-
scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea.[1] Mining takes place in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa
and Canada.

c0



 (ÿ


  (ÿ




Subsidiary of Luxottica Group S.p.a.




1937



 

Bausch & Lomb


 

Agordo, Veneto, Italy



High End Eyewear and Sunglasses

*
 


www.ray-ban.com

 (ÿ
is a manufacturer of sunglasses, founded in 1937[1] by Bausch & Lomb. They were
introduced for the United States Army Air Corps[2]. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to
the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported 1.2 billion dollars[3].

Ray-Bans were initially created in 1937 after Lieutenant John MacCready had returned from a
balloon flying adventure in 1920. He complained that the sun had done permanent damage to his
eyes. He contacted Bausch & Lomb asking them to create a type of sunglasses that would not
only provide superb protection, but also look elegant. On May 7, 1937, Bausch & Lomb
officially took out the patent[3]. The prototype, known as Anti-Glare, consisted of an extremely
light frame weighing 150 grams. They were made of gold-plated metal with two green lenses
made of mineral glass to filter out infrared and ultraviolet rays. Pilots in the United States Army
Air Corps immediately adopted the sunglasses[3]. The Ray-Ban Aviator became a well-known
style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in
World War II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them.[3]
18. ÿ  
+


ÿ  
+







Private




1853


 

Rochester, New York, USA

Gerald M. Ostrov, Chairman & CEO






John Jacob Bausch, Co-Founder
Henry Lomb, Co-Founder


 
Medical instruments & Supplies


Contact lenses, Eye-care products







Ÿ$2.51 Billion USD (2007)







Ÿ$410 Million USD (2007)

Î



13,000 (2007)

*
 


www.bausch.com

ÿ  
+
 is an American company based in Rochester, New York, is one of the world's
leading suppliers of eye health products, such as contact lenses and lens care products today. In
addition to this main activity, in recent years the area of medical technology (medicines, implants
for eye diseases) has been developed. Bausch & Lomb became well known because of its famous
 (ÿ
brand of sunglasses, which was sold in 1999 to the Italian Luxottica Group. Today, the
company employs about 13,000 people in 36 countries. The company was founded in 1853 by
two Germans, John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb.[1]
19. 





 




Joint venture




1987


 

Hosur, India

4 continent and 32 countriesIndia and






other countries esp. Middle east, Asia
Pacific and Africa






Xerxes Desai, Founder


 
Watches

Watches, Jewellery, Eyewear & Precision



Engineering

Î



3,000

 



TATA

*
 


www.titanworld.com




 
is the world's sixth largest wrist watch manufacturer and India's leading
producer of watches under the Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, Nebula & Xylys brand names. It is a joint
venture between one of India's most respected business organizations, the Tata Group, and the
Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).[1] Its product portfolio includes
watches, accessories and jewellery, in both contemporary and traditional designs. It exports
watches to about 32 countries around the world with manufacturing facilities in Hosur,
Dehradun, Goa and manufactures precious jewellery under the Tanishq brand name, making it
India's only national jewellery brand. It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group.

20. 
ÿ


ÿ





Public (Xetra: BOS3)




1923


 

Metzingen, Germany

Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, CEO







Giuseppe Vita, CHAIRMAN


 

Consumer Goods



Textile - Apparel clothing







Ÿ ¼ 1.632 billion (2007)

Î



9,700 (2008)

 



Valentino Fashion Group

*
 


www.boss.com


ÿ
 is a fashion house based in Metzingen, Germany, that specializes in high-end
menswear apparel. It is named after its founder, Hugo Ferdinand Boss (1885±1948).

1c