The battle of the brands wages on.
Every quarter, fashion search platform Lyst analyses the behaviour of more than five million online shoppers to determine the hottest brands and products.
The Q2 (April-June) results are in and it’s good news for Nike and Versace, who broke the top 10 after climbing 20 or more places. Rising through the ranks can come down to one great commission – as demonstrated by Givenchy who rose two places after dressing Meghan Markle for the royal wedding in June.
Fendi has leapt into the world’s 10 hottest brands following months of high-profile love from the Kardashian-Jenners, according to the latest Lyst Index released exclusively recently. In the second quarter of 2018, the Italian fashion house became the eighth most popular brand in the world, moving up from number 17 in the previous quarter.
The highly influential Kylie Jenner can surely take some of the credit. In April she shared a picture with her 108 million Instagram followers, in which she wore a vintage Fendi dress and belt bag, and pushed baby Stormi in a pram plastered with the brand’s logo. It’s not the only celebrity boost that the Karl Lagerfeld-helmed label has enjoyed this year. On the cover for her April single “Chun-Li”, Nicki Minaj wore a Fendi fur jacket and logo-printed thong, and back in February, Kim Kardashian West shared an image of herself in matching monogrammed sheer tights, blouse and coat, posing for Odda Magazine. No surprise that those iconic Fs were one of this spring’s most coveted logos.
The Lyst Index, compiled by the global fashion search engine Lyst, is a quarterly ranking of more than five million shoppers a month across 12,000 designers and stores. Lyst takes into account data from its own search engine and Google as well as engagement statistics, conversion rates and sales worldwide to form its quarterly Index. It’s based on a broad analysis of online shopping behaviour, including Google searches, Lyst page views and searches, wish list saves and purchases.
Another key finding – Italian brands are some of the strongest in the world right now, holding five of the 10 slots. Versace, in particular, is rising up the ranks – from 21st place in the first quarter of the year to seventh place for April to June.
The jump can most likely be traced back to the Catholicism-themed Met Gala in May – Donatella Versace co-hosted the event and the house dressed Gigi Hadid, Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry, Blake Lively, Gisele Bündchen, Mary J. Blige and Cindy Crawford.
Brand awareness may also have been boosted by store expansions, a slew of big-name magazine covers featuring the spring/summer 2018 collection (including British Vogue and Vogue Japan), and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, an unauthorised TV drama that aired earlier this year.
Gucci enjoyed a prosperous second quarter too. The label reclaimed the top spot on the list from Balenciaga, which dropped to third place. The index also includes a breakdown of the hottest products of the quarter, and Gucci is winning there as well: the GG logo belt – an influencer favourite that’s been worn by Alexa Chung, Lou Doillon and Kendall Jenner – was number one.
Also ranking highly were Fila Disruptor sneakers (number two) and Prada’s nylon and leather belt bag (number four), while Balenciaga’s controversial platform Crocs sneaked in at number 10. The second release of these in June saw them sell out worldwide for a second time.
Prada and Nike (the top-ranking sportswear brand) also joined the top 10 names of the quarter, while Givenchy enjoyed a rise of two places to fourth position, almost certainly thanks to the Duchess of Sussex’s Clare Waight-Keller-designed wedding dress. Valentino, Yeezy, Moncler and Stone Island, however, all dropped out. See the lists in full, below.
Hottest brands of Q2 2018 (April to June)
- Gucci (previously 2)
- Off-White (4)
- Balenciaga (1)
- Givenchy (6)
- Dolce & Gabbana (8)
- Vetements (3)
- Versace (21)
- Fendi (17)
- Nike (20)
- Prada (11)
Hottest products of Q2 2018
- Gucci GG logo belt
- Fila Disruptor sneakers
- Gucci logo-print swimsuit
- Prada nylon and leather belt bag
- Jacquemus Saudade dress
- Off-White ℅ Virgil Abloh industrial belt
- Chanel canvas cap-toe espadrille flats (pre-owned)
- Céline Edge sunglasses
- Goat Whitney dress
- Balenciaga platform Crocs
