Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Why Do Luxury Brands Have Mascots?

Why Do Luxury Brands Have Mascots?

While logos serve as symbols of status and recognition, mascots allow for play and novelty.

Characters like the Geico Gecko, Mr. Clean, and Tony the Tiger have become household names even outside of the respective companies they represent, and mascots have a place in more than just commercials and artwork on food packaging. Luxury houses are utilizing mascots-physical and digital-to further tell their story and serve as brand ambassadors as the fashion world evolves.

Brands' logos and signature prints alone have usually sufficed as identifying markers and points of community, but top labels have also introduced signature characters. Fendi debuted its monster in the Fall/Winter 2013 show, an evolving character that continues to appear in its original form as a fur bag charm and as a more toned-down image of glowing yellow or black eyes. Lifesize Fendi monsters even traveled the globe in 2016 to attend events at Fendi stores and perform on the runway. Karl Lagerfeld, the late creative director of the fashion house, even appeared as a fluffy Karlito bag charm for several seasons. Not to mention, Lagerfeld's namesake label often features a cartoon version of the designer on everything from leather jackets to enamel belt buckles.



Karl Lagerfeld with Fendi monster mascots.

                        

Fendi Spring/Summer 2015 Karlito bag charm and monster mini-bag

                        

Fendi Spring/Summer 2015 Men's monster backpack.

In 2018, Louis Vuitton introduced Vivienne, a doll that pulls from some of the brand's iconic motifs, as its mascot. Besides being a standalone accessory, Vivienne has appeared on bags and jewelry for the fashion house. More recently, during the boom of fashion video games last year, Burberry employed an animated deer as the face of its game, B Surf, and also created a platform for its digitally savvy Shenzen store through which visitors can interact with the avatar via an app.

Brands frequently collaborate with youthful entities like Disney, but their own mascots can be used to evoke the same sense of nostalgia and fantasy. Similar to the effect of capsule collections, limited-edition items sporting a brand mascot boost a brand's commercial appeal. The mascots transform accessories and fashion into coveted pieces of merchandise. They also appear on more accessible trinkets, like keychains, which allows a larger audience to connect with the brand.

Additionally, the increased use of animation in fashion advertising has allowed for their characters to come to life (even seemingly mundane objects like Hermès signature orange boxes, seen ice skating on a frozen pond in the French house's 2013 holiday campagin). They can also be used to add a vivid storyline to brands' collection, like Louis Vuitton's Vivienne, whose travels and activities are featured in the descriptions of and illustrations on the brand's holiday drops.



Louis Vuitton's Vivienne mascot.

For brands like Ralph Lauren, mascots are an integral part of its work, attracting a broad range of customers with different styles. Originally introduced in the '90s as a limited run of stuffed toys, the Polo Bear became a fashion symbol once it was sold on actual apparel. It especially gained momentum in the hip hop scene, giving the character cred in the streetwear circles, an unexpected route from its preppy origins.

The newest mascots in high fashion were introduced by Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton's series of physical and digital events used to promote the latest menswear collection. Cartoonized animals representing Abloh and his crew, called Zooom with friends, made an appearance in interactive filters and animations, a move that the brand made to strengthen the "diverse community spirit that exists around its menswear universe and encourages the public to take part in the ongoing dialogue between Virgil Abloh and his audience." The characters also joined the models on Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2021 men's runway.



Merging brand identity and novelty, luxury mascots offer an interactive piece to the consumer relationship. They can become collectible items, like the Fendi monster charms or Louis Vuitton Vivienne dolls, or act as a brand ambassador for audiences to connect with digitally. Either way, they offer connection–a theme that will likely grow in significance as we enter another socially distanced year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
×