Luxury Institute European Survey -- Wealthy European Consumers Rate the Most Prestigious Luxury Women's Fashion Brands:

PARIS, Sep 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
Wealthy European consumers rated Hermes the most prestigious luxury
women's fashion brand in the 2009 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey
from the independent Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com). The
survey was conducted in France, the U.K., Germany and Italy, as a proxy
for Europe. Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent ranked second and third,
respectively.

"Many luxury brands are playing defense in the U.S. and in Europe during
this economic downturn. They should be playing offense. The high demand
for our impartial research is driving our expansion into Europe," said
Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. "Almost every week we
present ratings results to senior management teams, boards of directors,
advisory boards, or annual staff meetings of major luxury brands. Luxury
leaders are demanding our impartially derived actionable insights from
high net-worth consumers to determine where they rank, and ask us to help
them through the rigorous process of differentiating their customer
experience from their competitors."

Following are the 24 luxury women's fashion brands rated by wealthy
consumers (alphabetical order):

Alexander McQueen
Armani
Bottega Veneta
Burberry
Calvin Klein
Chanel
Chloe
Christian Dior
Dolce & Gabbana
Donna Karan
Fendi
Ferragamo
Givenchy
Gucci
Hermes
Jil Sander
Louis Vuitton
Marc Jacobs
Prada
Ralph Lauren
Roberto Cavalli
Stella McCartney
Versace
Yves Saint Laurent

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey is the only
measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Europeans. A
sample of 752 wealthy women, 188 each from the United Kingdom, Germany,
France, and Italy, were surveyed in-depth online about their opinions.
Respondents were recruited and screened to only include those age 21 or
older with a minimum gross annual income of EUR 60,000 or 70,000 pounds.

The LBSI asks respondents to rate the brands along four main "pillars" of
brand stature:

-- Consistently superior quality
-- Uniqueness and exclusivity
-- Social status as a product consumed by people who are admired and
respected
-- Self enhancement, in that the brand makes the consumer "feel special"
across all aspects of the customer experience

In addition, the survey also measures three key "outcome" metrics,
which are compared to the category LBSI:

-- Worthiness of a significant price premium
-- Willingness to recommend the brand to people they care about and why,
or why not
-- Brand preference as the brand most likely to be considered the next
time a purchase is made

About the Luxury Institute

The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings,
reviews and research institution that is the trusted and respected voice
of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of
proprietary publications and research that guides and educates high
net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading edge
trends, high net-worth consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands,
and best practices. The Luxury Institute also operates the Luxury Board
(www.LuxuryBoard.com), the world's first global, membership-based online
community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and
entrepreneurs. To reach the Luxury Institute, please call 646-792-2669 or
go to www.LuxuryInstitute.com.

Contact:
Martin Swanson
Vice President
Business Development
The Luxury Institute
(office) 914-909-6350
(cell) 914-715-3357
Email Contact
www.LuxuryInstitute.com

Copyright 2008, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-