10. Nike
The Nike Inc. company is worth
somewhere around $14 billion and it all started with a shoe. In its heyday Nike was such a powerhouse
status symbol that people were being violently robbed, even killed for their
Air Jordans (yeah, remember that?). Having that shoe box, with that swoosh, was
the penultimate in fashion meets sport. That was a meeting of the minds that ushered
in a new wave of celebrity athlete endorsements that continues to this day. The
largest: Tiger Woods earned $100 million over 10 years in 2000 for sporting
Nike gear (“I am Tiger Woods”). Nike was a pioneer in marketing sporting goods to
the masses as must-have fashion, athlete or not. And walking out of the mall
with that shoe box was as close to a retail therapy shoe fetish as most men and
boys will ever enjoy.
9. Ralph Lauren
The internet, in all its glorious
accessibility, has made online shopping a boon for retailers and given high end
designers one more facet for luxury interface with clientele. Ralph Lauren has capitalized on this and
sends out its packages in signature navy boxes embossed with gold lettering and
navy ribbon, contents carefully wrapped in tissue and sealed with a gold foil stamp
featuring the company’s ubiquitous polo pony.
The best part? Polo.com offers free gift wrapping on most purchases! And
if that doesn’t make you feel special, nothing will.
8. J. Crew
There is something so clean and
fresh and reassuringly limitless about those plain brown boxes. They’re the packaging equivalent of a fresh
piece of construction paper. You can
impose upon them any sort of sparkly, cashmere dream. It’s casual and understated elegance, which
is exactly what J. Crew is all about.
7. Victoria’s Secret
It’s pink. It’s shiny.
It’s girly. And by virtue of the
company alone, you know whatever is inside is most likely…exciting, let’s call
it. Brand recognition for VS has grown
by leaps and bounds in the last decade and Limited Brands has grown the
lingerie retailer into a sort of Disneyland of sex appeal and bombshell
angels. Victoria’s Secret and the color pink
have pretty much become synonymous.
6. Veuve Clicquot
What’s more luxurious
than a fancy champagne? Champagne that comes in a box, of course! Champagne itself is a luxury holdover from the French
aristocracy. We all love those
bubbles. And beyond that, we all love
those yellow boxes! Just by virtue of
there being a box pushes this brand above and beyond. How many bottles of wine do you regularly buy
that come in their own box? And we’re not talking Franzia. Established waaaay back in 1772, Veuve
Clicquot markets a lifestyle and just this past year that lifestyle became more
focused on sustainability with an “out of the box” campaign that features more
eco-friendly paper, ink and solvents for their beloved packaging.
5. Louis Vuitton
Oh Louis, only you could make a
box the actual sale. I’m making somewhat
of an exception because there is scarcely a brand in the world that rivals the
recognition of that LV logo. And you
have to respect a company that’s made millions selling boxes. Back in the day when travel was a luxury,
trunks were even more so and signaled to everyone around that you had the means
to go where you pleased. It doesn’t
matter what you have in your Louis Vuitton, it matters that you have a Louis
Vuitton.
4. Chanel
If ever a company so completely
and consistently executed its brand “look” it is Chanel. No-nonsense femininity has been a hallmark of
the House of Chanel since its inception in 1909. Black, white, blush and nudes tones are the
company’s calling cards, which have been beautifully carried out to the gift
boxes. Simple, clean and beautiful with
those cute little interlocking Cs…what’s not to love? A ribbon camellia, a flower that has long
been a favorite motif of Mle. Coco, makes for a thoroughly perfect and
brand-representative design.
3. Starbucks
Sure, it’s not exactly a gift box, but the funny thing
about Starbucks is that that damn cup has become such a status symbol, a
hallmark of the busy, upwardly mobile professional with their hurried,
important, caffeinated lifestyle, that people spend $5 on a coffee for a cup-as-accessory. You could be drinking ice water out of it,
but somehow you look more important; maybe because you have $5 to shell out for
a coffee. Plus, the more instructions the
baristas have to scrawl all over it, the more complex and sophisticated your
tastes. Right? And do I even have to
mention how hyped up everyone gets when those holiday cups roll around?
2. Hermes
A company that started out making
bridles and harnesses in the 1830s has evolved into one of the world’s premiere
leather goods manufacturers. Along the
way, they stumbled upon one of the chicest color combos in fashion
history. In fact, the orange and brown
boxes have become somewhat of a commodity themselves and are often used as
interior design display pieces. The
horse and carriage logo and the stitches painted on the accompanying ribbon pay
homage to Hermes’ horsey heritage and their unique hand-stitching process.
1. Tiffany and Co.
Ahh that little blue box. There’s nothing else that could have been
number 1. When Tiffany launched their signature
packaging all the way back in 1837(!) it was meant to symbolize the company’s
dedication to craftsmanship as well as “nature’s lush bounty,” something which
has long been an inspiration to the behemoth jeweler. The trademarked
shade of “Tiffany Blue” is one of the most recognizable in the country and has
been imitated but never replicated on everything from wedding cakes to
fingernail polishes and everything in between.
The company has a strict rule when it comes to those little bundles of
joy: they are never to be taken out of the store without containing something
purchased from the store – a move which no doubt makes the boxes all the more
prestigious and sought after. After all,
exclusivity is the axis around which the fashion world turns.
So tell us, what'd we leave out? Is there anything you covet as
much for the packaging as anything?
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