Guess was launched in 1981 by Georges Marciano and his brothers.
The Marciano family founded Guess after moving from France to the United States. The brand initially became known for fashion-oriented denim that combined a European styling sensibility with the growing American market for designer jeans.
Guess used advertising, distinctive fits, and a recognizable question-mark logo to separate its jeans from traditional workwear brands. Its rise formed part of the designer-jeans boom of the 1980s, when denim increasingly appeared in fashion stores and high-profile campaigns.
Guess is sometimes mixed up with Jordache, Calvin Klein Jeans, or Gloria Vanderbilt, all prominent names in fashion denim. Guess’s defining launch date and founding family are distinct: Georges Marciano and his brothers created the brand in 1981.