Gucci Is Back on Top as the World's Hottest Fashion Brand
Plus, footwear styles dominated the final quarter of 2018, especially if Meghan Markle wore them, according to a new report from Lyst.
Lyst released its final quarterly ranking of brands and products for 2018 on Wednesday. The global fashion platform calculated up to five million shoppers' habits online, from searching and browsing to social media engagement and actual purchases across 12,000 designers and stores.
From October through December of last year, Off-White officially ranked as the world's hottest brand for the first time ever, but the top title didn't last for long. Gucci took back its first-place spot for Q4, which Lyst says is due to successful sales in its accessories category. (Previously, the luxury Italian house was the most-searched and shopped for brand throughout 2017 and early 2018.)
1. Gucci
2. Off-White
3. Balenciaga
4. Moncler
5. Fendi
6. Versace
7. Stone Island
8. Vetements
9. Valentino
10. Burberry
Overall, Italian brands take up most of the Lyst Index, including Moncler (#4), Fendi (#5), Versace (#6) and Valentino (#9). However, Moncler's performance seemed most impressive, as the Italian outerwear brand jumped 12 places up to the fourth spot. Lyst notes it's because of Moncler's collaborative project Genius, which debuted last year and reportedly earned up to $15.2 million in equivalent unpaid marketing. Burberry also made the list in tenth place, proving that Riccardo Tisci's revamp for the British heritage brand is resonating with customers.
In more designer-name, product-specific news, footwear styles dominated the final quarter of 2018, especially if Meghan Markle wore them. The Duchess of Sussex was spotted in a pair of Veja sneakers back in October, causing online searches to increase by a whopping 113 percent for the French ethical shoe brand. Veja's signature V10 sneakers take the third spot of the hottest products list.
However, the Meghan Markle Effect? couldn't stop the relentless Gucciness of Gucci: More than six million shoppers searched for an Alessandro Michele-designed bag, belt or shoe over the last three months of 2018. Its Soho Disco Bag and Logo Belt, which take up the top two spots, drove twice as many orders as the rest of the Lyst Index's eight products combined.
1. Gucci Soho Disco Bag
2. Gucci Logo Belt
3. Veja V10 Sneakers
4. Moncler Genius 3 Grenoble Vonne Ski Jacket
5. Versace Chain Reaction Sneakers
6. Ugg Fluff Yeah Slides
7. Balenciaga Speed Sneakers
8. Dr. Martens Jadon Boots
9. Fila Ray Sneakers
10. Saint Laurent Monogram Envelope Chain Wallet
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