If you want to join their club, it helps to know a few names.

Have you ever paged through a high-end fashion magazine or luxury lifestyle magazine and come across brand names you didn’t know how to pronounce?

If you don’t speak French or Italian, chances are you can’t correctly say hundreds of luxury and fashion brand names.

Here are some names that come to mind. See how many you’re absolutely positive you know how to say correctly. No guesses allowed.

BADGLEY MISCHKA, BVLGARI, CHOPARD, DOLCE & GABBANA, GIVENCHY, HERMES, HERVE LEGER, JAEGER-LeCOULTRE, LANVIN, LOUIS VUITTON, MIU MIU, MOSCHINO, ROCHAS, TAG HEUER, VACHERON CONSTANTIN

I suspect that billions of people around the globe have no clue how to pronounce these luxury and haute couture names.

Assuming I’m correct, why is that? Why have companies intentionally created linguistic barriers between their brands and billions of people who could theoretically buy their goods?

It’s because unlike mass brands, luxury brands aren’t meant for everybody. Or even large segments of the public. They’re meant to be exclusive. In fact, if a luxury brand were to be seen as anything but highly exclusive, it would lose its appeal and no longer be considered a true luxury brand.

A luxury brand is a differentiated product that offers symbolic meaning. It makes a statement about your status and your sense of style. It exists in order to appeal to a very limited number of discerning customers.

And its name is an extremely powerful clue that a given luxury brand is only for those customers who are in the know, who are among the chosen, who are part of the club.

If you don’t know how to say a luxury brand’s name correctly, you are, by definition, not a member of the club.

So in effect, luxury companies use their brand names as one way to help screen and choose a highly selective clientele. If you’re the right kind of person with the right kind of knowledge and taste, and if you’re willing to pay an extraordinary amount of money, you receive the promise of belonging to a certain exclusive group.

And for many people, that appeal is irresistible.

For those of us who aren’t in the club, here’s how to pronounce the names above along with many others, 50 in all. Pronunciation suggestions came from several sources; my particular thanks go to Harper’s Bazaar UK (August 2013) and WatchTime Magazine.

A. LANGE & SOHNE
ah LAHN-guh und ZO-nuh

ANNA SUI
AN-na SWEE

AUDEMARS PIQUET
AWE-duh-mahr PEE-gay

BADGLEY MISCHKA
BADGE-lee MEESH-kah

BALENCIAGA
bah-len-see-AH-gah

BAUME & MERCIER                       
BOWM ay MURSE-ee-ay

BLANCPAIN
BLAHNK-pan

BOGLIOLI
BOH-lee-OH-lee

BOTTEGA VENETA
BOT-tay-ga VEN-etta

BREITLING
BRITE-ling

BREQUET
BREH-gay

BVLGARI
BUHL-guh-ree

CARTIER
CARR-tee-ay

CHOPARD
show-PAR

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
KREES-tyan LOO-boo-tan

COMME DES GARCONS
comb-day garr-SAWN

DE BETHUNE
deh bet-OON

DOLCE & GABBANA
DOLE-chay and guh-BAHN-uh

GIVENCHY
zjee-VON-shee

GLASHUTTE ORIGINAL
glass-HOO-tuh or-ig-in-AHL

Gucci
GOO-chee

HERMES
AIR-mez

HERVE LEGER
AIR-vay lay-ZHAY

HUBLOT
OOH-blow

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN
shaff-HOWZ-in

JAEGER-LeCOULTRE
zhey-ZHER leh-KOOLT

JEAN DUNAND
ZHAHN due-NAHND

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
ZHON PAUL GOAT-yay

LANVIN
laun-VAHN OR lohn-VAUN

LONGINES
LAWNG-zheen

LOUIS VUITTON
LOO-wee vwee-TAHN

MAISON KITSUNE
MAY-sun kit-soo-NAY

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA
MAY-sohn mar-TIN mar-JHEL-ah

MIANSAI
my-ahn-SIGH

MIU MIU
MEW MEW

MONTBLANC
MOHN-BLAHN OR MOHNT-BLAHNK

MOSCHINO
moe-SKEE-no

OLIVIER THEYSKENS
OH-liv-ee-ay TAY-skins

PATEK PHILIPPE
pah-TEK fill-EEP

PIAGET
pee-ah-ZHAY

PIERRE CARDIN
PEE-air car-DOHN

RICHARD MILLE
REE-shard MEEHL

ROCHAS
ro-SHOSS OR row-SHAHS

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
sal-vah-TOE-reh fair-a-GAH-moe           

TAG HEUER
TAG HOY-ur

ULYSSE NARDIN
you-LEESE nahr-DAN

VACHERON CONSTANTIN
VASH-er-ahn kon-stan-TAN

VERSACE
vur-SAH-chee OR ver-SAH-chay

WTAPS
DOUBLE TAPS

YVES SAINT LAURENT
EVE SAN lau-RON