With more fashion-centric reality shows dominating the networks and a new celebrity designing clothes every minute, it’s tough to distinguish which brands will be around for long. Even tougher, though, is maintain brand relevancy among the fleeting tastes of consumers in this fast-paced society. Here are 10 brands with old-school roots that have passed the most recent tests of time.
10. Timex
Timex may have been born over a century ago, but the brand’s recent variety in style have allowed it to remain a top choice whether buyers are seeking sporty, colorful, elegant, or functional. By sponsoring bloggers like WhatIWore’s Jessica Quirk, the brand has positioned itself as the perfect functional accessory for a variety of styles and personalities.
9. Minnetonka
With a product line described on their website as “America’s original footwear,” Minnetonka has been known for its driving moccasins since the company originated in 1946. But with the recent upswing of tribal-inspired style, the brand has also seen attention for its fur-trimmed and fringed-out boot styles.
8. Lilly Pulitzer
Lily Pulitzer’s preppy powerhouse began as the solution to a simple problem: working at her Florida juice stand was getting her clothes dirty. In an effort to camouflage the stains, she made a shift dress out of colorful fabric. Pulitzer’s former schoolmate Jaqueline Kennedy catapulted the brand into the public eye when she was photographed in one of the dresses, but the Lilly Pulitzer patterns have reached a new level of revere in recent years by producing day planners, shower curtains, iPhone cases and more in the distinctive prints.
7. Keds
Despite their bouncy beginning as some of the country’s first “sneakers” to the height of popularity in the ‘80s, Keds spent a while out of the spotlight before their return to mainstream style in recent years. With endorsements from musicians and new specialty kicks for popular stores like Madewell, Keds has put itself back in the limelight.
6. Belstaff
Belstaff is a luxury brand specializing in waterproof outerwear, and the fact that they design jackets for motorcyclist automatically gives them a little bit of a cool factor from the start. They’d faded from the public eye somewhat since the brand’s birth in 1924, but the buzz on Belstaff is back in a big way with mentions in fashion magazines and inclusion in J. Crew’s “In Good Company” collection.
5. Hunter Boots
Hunter has been the standard for rain boots for over 150 years, dating back to its roots as the North British Rubber Company in 1856. The brand has come a long way since its original green rain boot, and now makes a variety of colorful options for stylish puddle-jumpers around the world.
4. Jack Rogers
Most remember Jack Rogers hitting it big when Jacqueline Kennedy adopted the “Navajo” style as her go-to resort footwear. Now, the brand has blossomed into a summer staple for many women, staying stylish and current for its versatility and effortlessly elegant appeal.
3. The Levi Strauss Company
Levi Strauss invented denim, which makes this enduring blue-jean brand a tough one to beat. Although the red tag and thick, dark denim pants have always been a standard and affordable choice, their ad campaigns in the past few years have targeted a trendier audience and given the brand a fresh, bold feel. The jeans’ ubiquity in major department stores as well as more stereotypically youthful stores like Urban Outfitters show’s Levi’s unique capability of being simultaneously current yet ageless.
2. The Frye Company
On their website, The Frye Company boasts family-oriented beginnings and roots in the 1860s making shoes for factory workers. These durable leather boots became a mainstay for soldiers and pilots, but later gained popularity for their harness and riding boots. Now, Frye has resurfaced as the go-to company for well-made riding boots, western-styled cowboy boots, and even leather ballet flats, with their harness boot remaining one of their top selling and most-imitated styles.
1. Ray-Ban
Ray-Bans are the ultimate example of a brand that’s maintained its iconic status over the years, and its authentic vibe dates back to its beginnings. The classic aviator shades were created in 1936 for the US Air Force by Bausch and Lomb, aiming to protect the eyes while providing a sophisticated look. Although the brand has cycled through a number of well-known styles like the wayfarer and the clubmaster, the original aviator remains a beacon of timeless style.