During your trips to the mall, have you ever found yourself wondering about what a particular brand’s name actually stands for? Well, you have come to the right place. Here is a list of some of our favourite brand name meanings. After all, ‘Knowledge is power’.
1. Zara
A company that has made its founder, Mr Amancio Ortega, the ‘wealthiest retailer in the world’, had in fact started off as ‘Zorba’, named after a movie, Zorba the Greek. However, since a neighbourhood bar was also named the same, the founder decided to rearrange the letters, and thus, Zara (and the answer to most of our fashion woes) was born.
2. Forever 21
Touted as the ‘air-conditioned Sarojini’, Forever 21 was initially named as Fashion 21. The ‘21’ is an indicator of the target customers of the brand, that is, people primarily in their 20s!
3. Levi’s
Named after its founder, Mr Levi Strauss, this brand has become synonymous with jeans and for good reason too! They did make the first pair of blue jeans, after all.
4. H&M
The company started off as ‘Hennes’, which is Swedish for ‘Hers’ and needless to say, dealt exclusively in women’s clothing and accessories. It was only when it took over another retailer named Mauritz Widforss that the name was changed to H&M (Hennes & Mauritz), an event which also marked the company’s foray into men’s clothing.
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5. Biba
Our go-to brand for ethnic wear, Biba refers to a ‘young and pretty girl’ in Punjabi and has redefined the concept of desi-chic in the country with its range of affordable and quality apparel.
6. Sephora
The candyland of any makeup enthusiast, Sephora is a combination of the name ‘Zipporah’, the wife of Moses in the Book of Exodus who was renowned for her exceptional beauty, and ‘sephosis’, the Greek term for beauty and vanity.
7. Maybelline
Maybelline has emerged as the knight in shining armour for all of us who don’t want to spend a bomb when it comes to makeup. Interestingly, the brand is named after Maybel, the sister of Thomas Williams, who had to use petroleum jelly to help darken her lashes (we are talking about the early 1900s, y’all!). Williams, a chemist, added carbon dust to the petroleum jelly, which darkened her lashes and brows much more dramatically. And hence Maybelline, named in the honour of his sister, came into being.
8. NYX
NYX is named after the Greek Goddess of night that symbolized beauty and power, which is entirely appropriate given the line’s massive assortment of makeup…that too at prices that won’t pinch your pockets. And now that it is finally available in India, you can tell why we are rejoicing!
9. MAC
Let us just say that we are more than happy that this Canadian brand, which stands for Makeup Art Cosmetics and had initially catered to professional makeup assistants alone, decided to make itself available to the general populace. For where would we be without our Ruby Woo, Velvet Teddy, and Rebel?!
10. Tresmode
While we can only dream of owning a Carrie Bradshaw-esque shoe closet, we can most certainly lay our hands (or is it feet?) on some of the premium quality footwear from the house of Tresmode, which is actually French for “high fashion”.
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11. Nine West
One of our favourite footwear and accessory brands, Nine West is interestingly named after its founding location at 9 West 57th Street in the New York City.
12. Nappa Dori
A Delhi-based brand, Nappa Dori literally translates as “leather and thread”, and has managed to carve a niche for itself in the world of fashion, thanks to its contemporary take on leather accessories and luggage.
13. Zivame
Zivame has revolutionized lingerie shopping with their versatile range and perfect fit, and we cannot thank them enough! The name Zivame originates from the Hebrew language and translates as “radiant me”. For the brand believes that the inner radiance of women really shines through when they are being themselves and we couldn’t agree more!
14. Nike
A brand that has become synonymous with sportswear, Nike gets its name from the Greek Goddess Nike, the winged goddess of victory, who is also renowned for her running and flying skills. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
15. Starbucks
Our Instagram feeds would have been so disappointing had it not been for all those perfect #MorningCoffee pictures, courtesy Starbucks. The coffee house is named after Starbuck, a character from the literary classic Moby-Dick, and is said to evoke the ‘romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders’.
Don’t forget to flaunt your new-found information about these brand name meanings the next time you go shopping!