American Marketer

Apparel and accessories

Brand backlash fails to dampen label popularity

May 13, 2019

Gucci Showtime Spring/Summer 2019 Gucci was the second most popular label in the first quarter. Image courtesy of Gucci

 

Off-White eclipsed Gucci and Balenciaga to become the hottest brand in fashion in the first quarter of this year, according to data from Lyst.

The growing influence of streetwear and athletic wear was evident in the rankings, as Stone Island, Vetements, Nike, Palm Angels and Adidas joined Off-White in the top 20. As casualization takes hold of fashion, luxury is retaining its allure, with Italian luxury houses dominating the list with nine of the spots.

The Lyst Index is based on both search and shopping data from 5 million consumers and social media data.

Label list
Lyst’s rankings show that controversies related to cultural insensitivity have not impacted brands' appeal.

For instance, Gucci came in second, despite the backlash the label received over a sweater that was deemed as racist (see story). Prada had a similar situation (see story), but emerged similarly unscathed in sixth place.

Dolce & Gabbana, which ranked 15th, created controversy in China with a digital campaign that featured a woman trying to eat Western foods with chopsticks (see story).

Some brands had viral social media moments thanks to red carpet placements. For instance, actress Brie Larson chose Valentino for the “Captain Marvel” premiere, helping the brand earn the fourth spot in the list.

Fendi similarly saw a rush of interest in actor Jason Momoa’s suit and matching scrunchie, landing the brand in fifth place.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

@prideofgypsies and #LilakoiMoon dressed in #Fendi attend the 91st Accademy Awards

A post shared by Fendi (@fendi) on Feb 25, 2019 at 10:05pm PST

Instagram post from Fendi

Celebrity also helped Saint Laurent, as it teamed with Travis Scott for his “Can’t Say” music video (see story).

During the quarter, women were searching products such as Alexander McQueen sneakers, Prada headbands and Fendi Baguettes. For men, the top 10 products were all sneakers, all of which were from mass brands such as Converse, Nike, Adidas and New Balance.

Instagram post from Prada

Lyst also saw a spike in searches for tie-dye, as the trend heats up.