American sportswear giant NIKE has once again been named the world’s ‘most valuable’ apparel brand after a 13 per cent surge in brand value to US $ 32 billion, according to a report by Brand Finance.
The retailer’s strength score of 92, measured by marketing investment, familiarity, loyalty, staff satisfaction and corporate reputation, and its AAA+ rating, made the sportswear giant the most powerful brand in the sector and third most powerful across all sectors.
“NIKE’s strength can be attributed to the apparel giant’s ability to continuously innovate and deliver state-of-the-art products to a range of consumer demographics,” stated Brand Finance. Most recently, Nike launched performance hijab and a plus-size collection. Alongside its products, the brand also delivers powerful messages through its marketing campaigns, which Brand Finance states “undoubtedly bolsters” its brand value and strength.
H&M bagged the second place with a brand value of US $ 19 billion, up by 24 per cent last year, contributed by expansion of its retail stores, opening 442 in 2016 alone. Not too far behind in third spot is Zara, which saw its brand valued at US $ 14.4 billion. It is the flexibility of Zara’s fast fashion model that allows it to adapt its clothing to unpredictable circumstances such as unusual changes in weather and means that its brand’s value “flourishes as a result of this competitive advantage”, as per the report.
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The report also underlined that Zara overtook Louis Vuitton, valued at US $ 13 billion. However, the French fashion houses does still remain the most valuable luxury apparel brand on the list, followed by, Hermès (US $ 8.3 billion), Gucci (US $ 6.8 billion), Donna Karan (US $ 6.6 billion), and Coach increased up the listings with US $ 4.6 billion, while Burberry (US $ 4 billion) and Michael Kors (US $ 3.7 billion) both moved down.
Marc Jacobs came out as the fastest-growing brand of the 50 most valuable apparel brands. The fashion label’s brand value stood at US $ 1.4 billion due to the company’s restructuring.
