Brioni, Ferragamo, and Zegna ranked as top 3 luxury brands for men.

The 2011 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI), conducted by the Luxury Institute, surveyed men in the U.S. who earn over $150,000 a year on their opinions regarding dozens of high-end fashion and shoe designers.  The average household net worth of those surveyed was $2.4 million.

The LBSI is the 'only unbiased measure of the reputation of leading brands provided by direct insights from wealthy U.S. consumers.'

Combining Fashion and Finance: Salvatore Ferragamo planning IPO by end of 2011

Salvatore Ferragamo, the Italian luxury fashion group that is best known for its beautiful shoes and other high-end leather goods, announced yesterday that they are planning an IPO by the end of this year, and possibly as early as July.  The company, based in Florence, has already lined up JP Morgan and Mediobanca as joint lead-managers and global coordinators.  

At least thirty percent of the total offering would be issued in the United States and Japan.  Investors will likely be eager to get their hands on a piece of Ferragamo, which enjoyed a 26% earnings increase last year, giving the company 786 million euros in revenue and 61 million euros in net profit (113 million euros EBITDA).  The value of the company is estimated at between 1 billion and 1.7 billion euros. 

source: Reuters