How to Say Those Tricky Designer Names.

It's one thing to be interested in high fashion, and another thing entirely to try and have a conversation about it and not have a single clue how to pronounce the designer's name. We're most likely all guilty of reading these names exactly as they are spelled....saying Givenchy as give-enchy, Lacroix as la-kroy (in my head at least), and Bal-main basically exactly as it looks.

Let's take it all the way back to the first grade, why don't we? It's time to get our collective learn on. So from A to Z, the good folks over at Harpers Bazaar have listed many of the popular high fashion designers and how to pronounce their complicated ass names.


 Anna Sui: anna swee
 Ann Demeulemeester: ann de-mule-eh-meester
 Azzedine Alaia: azz-eh-deen ah-lie-ah
 Badgley Mischka: badge-lee meesh-kah
 Balenciaga: bah-len-see-ah-gah
 Balmain: bahl-mahhhhn
 Bottega Veneta: bow-tay-guh vah-netta
 Christian Lacroix: christian luh-kwa
 Christian Louboutin: christian loo-boo-tan
 Comme des Garçons: comb dey gah-sown
 Dolce & Gabbana: dol-chey and gab-ana
 Dries Van Noten: drees van know-ten
 Gareth Pugh: gareth pew
 Giambattista Valli: gee-am-bah-tease-ta vah-lee
 Gianfranco Ferre: gee-ahn-franco feh-ray
 Givenchy: zjee-von-shee
 Hermès: er-mez
 Hervé Léger: air-vay lay-jah
 Hussein Chalayan: hoo-sane sha-lion
 Issey Miyake: iss-ee mee-yah-key
 Jean Paul Gaultier: zhon paul go-tee-ay
 Junya Watanabe: jun-yah wat-an-ah-bey
 Kinder Aggugini: kinder ag-ooh-gee-nee
 Lanvin: lahn-vahn
 Loewe: loh-wev-eh
 Louis Vuitton: loo-wee vwee-tahn
 L'Wren Scott: la-ren scott
 Maison Martin Margiela: may-sohn martin mar-jhell-ah
 Marchesa: mar-kay-sah
 Mary Katrantzou: mary cat-trant-zoo
 Miu Miu: mew-mew
 Monique Lhuillier: monique le-hu-lee-ay
 Moschino: mos-key-no
 Olivier Theyskens: oh-liv-ee-ay tay-skins
 Proenza Schouler: pro-en-zuh skool-er
 Rochas: row-shahs
 Rodarte: row-dar-tay
 Roksanda Ilincic: roksanda ill-in-chik
 Salvatore Ferragamo: sal-vah-tor-re fer-ra-gah-moh
 Sonia Rykiel: sewn-yah ree-key-el
 Thakoon: tah-koon
 Versace: vur-sah-chee
 Yves Saint Laurent: eve san lau-ron
 Yohji Yamamoto: yoh-jee yam-ah-mo-to