Brand Architecture : Chanel vs Dior

Submitted by- Garvita Srivastava

As an assignment submission for the course Marketing Analytics by University of Virginia

Introduction – An exceptional fashion rivalry

A progressive and independent Coco Chanel was the first to start determining the tone of the fashion
industry from as early as 1910 with her supreme brand Chanel. Her collections included simple and
comfortable suits, trousers, pearls and the classic combination of black and white. The look was full
of elegance and screamed Classy.
However, Christian Dior took the industry by storm in 1947 by getting corsets back in the show. His
‘New Look’ fashion revived business and the economy in Western Europe. The looks were stylishly
feminine and chic.
That was when the battle between the two strongest players in the fashion world began. The contest
to win has been on for almost half a century now. Chanel has been showcased by power fashion
figures of Liz Tylor, Jackie Kennedy and Dior has been more popular among fearless style icons like
Madonna.

Brand Architecture
The Brand pyramids for both the brands are as follows:

 Brand Architecture for Chanel

Elegance and simplicity

Sophisticated and timelessness

Modernity, Freedom, liberation,

Exclusivity

Comfortable , elegant , classic

Little black dress, tweed fabric , The Chanel suit and jacket, Pearls,
Chanel no. 5, quilted bags

 Brand Architecture for Dior

 Respect tradition and dare
insolance

Confident, playfullness and

trendiness

Power , premium luxury, sense of pride

stylish, experimenting, accessibility,

Parfum, Dior Bags , A and Y line looks, Romantic yet sleek

silhouettes

Brand comparison
As we can see, both Chanel and Dior compete in very similar markets- A market of utmost fashion luxury items.
Both brands possess extremely high value on craftsmanship; tailoring and product quality is exceptional in both the
cases. However, the differences in the brand personalities appeal to different target audiences in the same market.
Chanel prides itself on the exclusivity, elegance and classiness that it brings through its neat, clean and timeless
designs and a classy customer base. On the other hand, Dior attracts its customers with the high level of trendiness,
style and feminine experimentation with its designs and silhouettes to give it a more attractive look for the ones who’ll
want to choose trends over classic styles.

While Chanel creates a sense of timelessness, embraces Modernity, Freedom and liberation, for its customers, Dior
provides its customers with chic styles that appeal to the experimental lot. Both customer perceptions of these brands
in the pricing category are more or less quite similar as the pricing of these products goes extremely high because
well, It’s high fashion - a luxury.

Chanel is the timeless fashion lady and Dior is the most in-trend lass in the room. As the quote “Change is the only
constant” is very prevalent in the Fashion industry, both the brands keep experimenting with new
designs/techniques/tailoring/silhouettes/embellishments and advertisement campaigns. The campaigns of Chanel are
more subtle and rich in heritage and elegance while Dior’s campaigns are bolder, confident with fun and frolic
stylishness.

In opposing Dior and Chanel, they depict two very distinct images of femininity. On one hand, Chanel continues the
mission that Mademoiselle had set: style for all women, whatever their age. Femininity based on a respect for
womanhood, a refinement without extreme craftiness - without exaggeration: the simplicity of a comfortable and
functional fashion dressing for the modern woman. However, the Dior woman falls exclusively within the path of
confident ‘trendiness’. Upon his arrival in 1996 in Dior, John Galliano reinvented the brand image by making it bolder
from an earlier more subtler version of itself. Dior women, since then, have been more liberated, playful and look-me-
in-the-eyes-confident with sleek yet stylish experimentation.

Brand Value
Chanel is the second highest most valuable luxury fashion brand in the world as per Interbrand, 2019. It is primarily
because with luxury it provides its customers with the highest quality, craftsmanship and heritage and have a unique
loyal customer base. Also, Chanel lies No. 22 on the ranking of most valuable brands worldwide and has a $22.134
billion valuation, with 11% growth.

Dior, ranked No. 82 this year among global brands in all sectors, has a $6.045 billion brand valuation and saw a 16%
growth rate and is on the sixth positon in the list of most valuable luxury fashion brands in the world as per
Interbrand,2019.

Sources Consulted:

 https://kingandallen.co.uk/journal/2019/dior-vs-chanel-one-of-fashions-great-rivalries/
 https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-brand-images-for-Herm%C3%A9s-Dior-and-Chanel
 https://brandstruck.co/blog-post/positioning-three-valuable-luxury-fashion-brands/
 https://brandstrategymanagement.wordpress.com/category/brand-strategy-2/brand-image-dior-vs-
chanel/#:~:text=In%20opposing%20Dior%20and%20Chanel,all%20women%2C%20whatever%20their%20ag
e.&text=Dior%20woman%20is%20then%20more%20liberated%2C%20playful%20and%20laugh%20at%20ap
pearances.
 https://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/miscellaneous/the-9-most-valuable-luxury-brands-in-the-
world/slidelist/71748696.cms#slideid=71748712