After 9 months of Balenciaga reigning supreme as the world’s most popular and valuable fashion brand, Gucci is back as the world’s hottest brand this quarter! The Italian luxury label has surpassed its Spanish rival to claim the number one spot on Lyst’s Q2 2022 ranking.
The Lyst Index is a quarterly ranking of fashion’s hottest brands and products created by analysing the shopping and search behaviour of more than 200 million people each year by taking into account product views and sales. To track brand and product heat, Lyst’s formula also incorporates social media mentions, activity and engagement statistics worldwide, over a three-month period.
Gucci and Balenciaga have dominated the fashion conversation ever since the Lyst Index launched in 2017, both amongst consumers and industry insiders.
Kering-owned Gucci presented its ‘Cosmogonie’ Resort ’23 collection in Puglia, Italy, unveiled a collaboration with music sensation Harry Styles, and dropped its Gucci x adidas collection – all the right moves that have led the label to outshine its contemporaries in the industry. Searches of the Italian label surged by 286 per cent within 48 hours following the launch of its collaboration with adidas in June 2022.
Balenciaga, which topped the Lyst Index in the previous quarter, has pushed back into second place in Q2, a quarter that saw the label present its S/S ’23 collection at the New York Stock Exchange, and release its second drop in collaboration with Yeezy and Gap.
Following up close is Prada which has moved up one spot since Q1 2022 to grab the third place this quarter. The label presented its S/S ’23 menswear collection in Milan during the quarter, and also teamed up with Cassisus Hirst on a limited edition sneaker collab.
Dolce and Gabbana also hold a strong position amongst the quarter’s fastest-rising brands, climbing seven spots to re-enter the ranking at Number 15. Following the Kardashian-Barker wedding in Portofino, searches for the brand spiked 114 per cent.
That being said, a quarter of the most wanted products over the last three months emerge from collaborations, proving that collaboration culture is still thriving. The Jean Paul Gaultier x Lotta Volkova ‘naked’ dress takes the third spot in the women’s hottest products list while searches for ‘naked’ fashion pieces are up by 430 per cent over the last three months.
Fashion’s hottest brands of Q2 2022
GUCCI
- Presented the ‘Cosmogonie’ Resort ’23 collection in Puglia
- Unveiled HA HAHA collection in collaboration with Harry Styles
- Dropped the Gucci x adidas collection
BALENCIAGA
- Presented S/S ’23 collection at the New York Stock Exchange
- Released second drop of Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga
- Released 100 pairs of ‘extra destroyed’ sneakers
PRADA
- Presented S/S ’23 menswear collection in Milan
- Teamed up with Cassisus Hirst on a limited edition sneaker collaboration
- Signed on to sell fashion in Meta’s new digital marketplace
VALENTINO
- Appointed Alessandro Beretta as CEO for Europe
- Staged a theatrical exhibition to celebrate Valentino Garavani’s 90th birthday
- Tapped Lewis Hamilton as face of the Pink PP campaign
LOUIS VUITTON
- Presented Cruise ’23 show in San Diego
- Presented the S/S ’23 men’s show in Paris as a final celebration of Virgil Abloh
- Opened the ‘Dream Now’ exhibition, Abloh’s final project for Nike x Louis Vuitton
DIOR
- Released its collaboration with Birkenstock
- Unveiled the Cruise ’23 collection in Seville
- Teamed up with ERL for a co-branded runway show in LA
MIU MIU
- Sydney Sweeney starred in Wander bag campaign
- Collaborated with Baz Luhrmann to create costumes for the film ‘Elvis’
- Dressed Emma Corrin and Maude Apatow for the Met Gala
FENDI
- Dropped Fendace collection
- Presented men’s S/S ’23 collection at Milan Fashion Week
- Inked a two-year deal with Italian football club AS Roma
DIESEL
- Appointed Eraldo Poletto as new global CEO Worn by Kylie Jenner, Dua Lipa and Julia Fox
- Launched Diesel Sport, a new athleisure line
BURBERRY
- Dressed Nicki Minaj, Bella Hadid, Naomi Campbell and more for the Met Gala
- Unveiled series of special activations to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
- Named Gisele Bündchen face of the TB Summer Monogram campaign
VERSACE
- Surpassed US $ 1 billion in annual sales
- Dressed Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion in iconic ’90s designs for the Grammys
- Collaborated with Cher on Pride Month collection
NIKE
- Pulled out of the Russian market entirely after suspending operations in March
- Teamed up with Billie Eilish for a Nike Air Force 1 collaboration
- Announced a collaboration with Jacquemus
ADIDAS
- Dropped Gucci x adidas, a retro sportswear collection
- Debuted joint collection with Balenciaga
- Launched collaboration with NOAH
LOEWE
- Tapped Anthony Hopkins for F/W ’22 campaign
- Brought wearable plants to the S/S ’23 menswear runway
- Launched latest Paula’s Ibiza collection
DOLCE & GABBANA
- Hosted Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s wedding in Portofino
- Teamed up with Persol for a four-piece sunglasses collaboration
- Designed the costumes for the ABBA Voyage show
SAINT LAURENT
- Announced sales rose 37 per cent in Q1
- Launched a ‘Smoking’ podcast with Catherine Deneuve as first guest
- Launched the newest edition of the SELF project
BOTTEGA VENETA
- Debutted Matthieu Blazy’s first campaign in Venice
- Launched Bottega Series, a re-release of archival pieces
- Appointed Safa Sahin as Consultant Designer for footwear
MONCLER
- Reported sales surged by 60 per cent in Q1
- Announced the Genius model would extend to art, music, sports and more
- Dropped its third Genius collaboration with J.W. Anderson
OFF-WHITE
- Named Ibrahim Kamara as Art and Image Director
- Introduced first beauty line ‘PAPERWORK’
- Dressed Kylie Jenner and British actor Paapa Essiedu for the Met Gala
JACQUEMUS
- Appointed Bastien Daguzan as CEO
- Launched immersive pop-up experience ‘Le Bleu’ in Selfridges
- Presented S/S ’23 collection in Arles, featuring Nike collaboration
Collaboration culture is thriving
Gucci and Balenciaga have dominated the fashion conversation since the Lyst Index launched in 2017, both amongst consumers and industry insiders.
The current quarter sees Gucci narrowly reclaim the number one spot, after 9 months of Balenciaga topping the chart. In terms of aesthetics, both the brands’ couldn’t be more different – with Alessandro Michele’s colourful, maximalist utopia sitting in stark contrast with Demna’s dark, dystopian vision. But together, the two Kering-owned fashion houses are now powering a huge 21 per cent of the overall Lyst Index heat score generated by the top 20 brands.
Searches for Gucci skyrocketed 286 per cent in the 48 hours after its collection with adidas was released in June, with the adidas x Gucci Gazelle sneakers taking second place in the hottest women’s products list.
Data shows that collaboration culture is still thriving; dropping the right remix can create a major brand moment and drive brand heat for both parties involved.
This quarter’s perfect pairings include the Fendace collaboration swimsuit, adidas x Wales Bonner Samba sneakers, and the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga Dove hoodie. The Jean Paul Gaultier x Lotta Volkova ‘naked’ dress pays homage to Jean-Paul Gaultier’s iconic trompe l’oeil S/S ’96 collection, exciting a new generation of archive-diving young luxury shoppers keen to purchase a piece of the label’s history. Searches for ‘naked’ fashion pieces featuring trompe l’oeil body prints have jumped 430 per cent over the last three months.
Destination dressing takes off
As the world slowly wakes up from the nightmare of the Covid-19 pandemic, brands and shoppers embrace the return of international travel and joyful destination dressing. While some have questioned the ethics of flying guests thousands of miles for minutes of runway action, a ‘Wow’ fashion show location guarantees a spectacle and even more content creation opportunities for invitees – both of which fuel social media standing and exposure for the brand in question.
Q2 2022 proves that there is huge brand value in claiming a memorable IRL moment. Dolce and Gabbana climbs up seven positions to re-enter the Lyst Index, with searches for the brand spiking 114 per cent following the Kardashian-Barker wedding in Portofino.
Claiming the sixth position, Dior held a fiesta-inspired cruise show in Seville. Jacquemus steps up into the 20th place, following an all-white F/W ’22 catwalk show set against the salt mountains of Arles.
No doubt inspired by fashion’s jet-setting creator community, shoppers are investing in statement high summer pieces, from Casablanca’s silk shorts to Miu Miu’s colourful crochet bucket hat, and the iraca palm basket bag by Loewe.
Diesel jumps six places to claim the ninth position in the hottest brands list, with the Diesel 1DR bag becoming the hottest women’s product in the world this quarter. Under Creative Director Glenn Martens, the once dormant Diesel brand has erupted, and the new Diesel is now delivering on both a creative and commercial level.
The hottest products of Q2 2022
The 1DR bag is proving to be a powerful hero accessory, instantly recognisable with big, bold branding front and centre. As seen on Megan Thee Stallion, Julia Fox and Paloma Elsesser, demand for it jumped by 317 per cent in June. Its unique Y2K shape is causing a halo effect trend for the bag category; with searches for small shoulder bags up by 59 per cent this quarter.
Searches for Y2K inspired small shoulder bags are up by 59 per cent; parachute trousers, another ’00s trend, is also seeing a revival, whilst shoppers invest in statement high summer pieces.
Parachute trousers, another ’00s trend, is seeing a revival too, with over one billion views on TikTok. Jaded London’s US $ 90 tech cargo trousers embodies the trend, taking fifth position in the hottest products list this quarter.
The hottest women’s products in Q2 2022 start with the Diesel 1DR bag occupying the number one spot, followed by Gucci’s adidas Gazelle sneakers in second place. The Jean Paul Gaultier x Lotta Volkova naked dress comes in at third place, while the Balenciaga Le Cagole small shoulder bag ranks in fourth, and interestingly for the UK market, Jaded London Tech cargo trousers come in at fifth, beating Prada’s Symbole sunglasses at sixth, and the Miu Miu cotton hat at 7th. The LOEWE Anagram basket bag, Fendace logo one-piece swimsuit, and lastly in tenth, the Gucci Original GG slide sandal occupy the 8th, 9th and 10th spots, respectively.
The hottest menswear products are kick-started by Wales Bonner x adidas Originals Samba sneakers at Number 1; Birkenstock Boston suede clogs at Number 2; the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga Dove hoodie occupying the 3rd spot, and Gucci’s 1953 Horsebit loafers coming in at 4th. Levi’s 469 loose fit denim shorts, Stone Island Compass logo-patch cargo shorts, Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, Polo Ralph Lauren cotton chino ball cap come in at 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th spots, respectively, whilst Casablanca Ping Pong monogram silk shorts and the Nike Air Max 90 slides come in at 9th and 10th.
