How Not to Butcher 23 Difficult-to-Pronounce Designer Names

It’s safe to assume that at some point in our lives we will butcher the pronunciation of a name to the point of no return (I’ve done it before, and often have my own name mispronounced, which results in major LOLs and sometimes SMHs). Now that fashion month has wrapped up, we’ve put together a primer on some of the most difficult-to-pronounce designer names, from Gucci’s man-of-the hour Alessandro Michele to the iconic Rei Kawakubo. Here, 23 designer names that you won’t ever butcher again.

Alessandro Michele: ah-less-an-dro mee-keh-leh

Balmain: bahl-man (bahl-mah, if you want to be super pretentious)

Courrèges: coo-rehj

Cushnie et Ochs: cush-knee-et-awks

Fausto Puglisi: fao-stow poo-yeezy

Giamba: gee-ahm-bah

Jacquemus: ja-keh-moose

Jonathan Simkhai: jon-a-than sim-k-eye (k-eye, like “hi” but with a “k”)

Junya Watanabe: june-yah watt-ah-nah-bae

Loewe: le-wev-eh

Marques‘Almeida: mar-kiss al-may-duh

Miu Miu: myeww myeww

Moschino: mos-key-no

Olivier Rousteing: oh-liv-ee-aye roo-sten 

Pigalle: pee-gahl

Rei Kawakubo: ray kawa-coo-b-oh

Rochas: ro-sha

Roksanda Ilincic: rock-san-da ill-in-chitch 

Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane: san le-ron by eh-dee sluh-mah

Stella Jean: stella jon (like the Jean in Jean Paul Gaultier)

Thierry Mugler: tier-ee moo-gler

Vetements: vet-mon