Imagine you're walking down the street in Paris, Milan, New York or any other fashion capital you can think of. Not only do you see all the high-end brand stores, but also billboards or artifacts such as museums or cafés, all bearing their logo and distinctive style. When you get home, you scroll through social media and see the latest collection presented at Fashion Week, iconic high-end pieces worn by a range of more and less famous people, or the posts of a particular luxury brand itself. Although you probably don't usually realize when any of these many events take place, they are carefully curated to create a fashion brand's identity. In fact, fashion communication creates an image of how a fashion label is seen in the spotlight by the media, customers and the general public. So let's delve into the many facets of fashion communication to understand how high-end brands create their own strong identity and unparalleled distinctiveness.

Generally speaking, there are three distinct objectives that fashion brands seek to achieve through the implementation of a compelling communication strategy: brand awareness, brand image and reputation. But what do these terms mean and why are they so important to implement?

Brand image creation refers to sharing and telling the company's unique story to create a link in how the organization is seen culturally, emotionally and stylistically. It enables fashion houses to share their USP (unique selling proposition) with aspirational customers and demonstrate what makes them unique. Therefore, creating a brand image is all about providing an insight into the nature of the label. Building a strong image identity includes the story of heritage, craftsmanship, the logo and the designer who ultimately represents the fashion house. In addition, a brand's stylistic distinctiveness and, in particular, its iconic products are relevant as they help to spread the brand's high profile. For example: When you think of Bottega Veneta, it's the Intrecciato weaving technique that makes the designs so special. Chanel is known the world over for its classic Flap Bag (Chanel 11.12), with the house's unmistakable chain strap woven into the leather, and Burberry will always be associated with its classic trenchcoat.
All in all, the implementation of a truly integrative brand image is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks that fashion labels have to tackle when it comes to fashion communication. This is where collections, artifacts - such as museums, cafés or restaurants - collaborations, fashion shows and exhibitions need to come together in a holistic and unified way to illustrate what the brand ultimately stands for.

Brand awareness, on the other hand, allows fashion houses to become widely known and an integral part of the industry. Some passers-by, for example, may not know the history of a particular fashion label or what values it stands for, but they've heard of the brand or seen its products or logo. This implies that the organization has some kind of relevance and influence. Brand awareness can be created through advertising, fashion shows, events, social media, editorials and more.
Implementing a unique, distinctive code - which we talked about when we discussed creating a brand image - also allows fashion houses to be easily noticed and seen on a large scale in the fashion world. Therewith, iconic products have the potential to raise the profile of a fashion label when they become true statement pieces and the epitome of a fashion house.

Finally, organizations need to build their reputation by operating strategically and communicating with their stakeholders at a corporate level. At this point it's all about how the company's management operates, whether it's trustworthy and transparent, what social and environmental initiatives the organization is taking, what CSR looks like, or how the company is making profits and maintaining margins. Employees, customers, investors, banks, the community are all different stakeholders that need to be considered. Ultimately, reputation is about how an organization is perceived at the corporate level and, consequently, how it is recognized in the business world.