Off-White is hottest brand in Lyst Q1 report as casual, streetwear is housebound uniform

Off-White retains its position as the hottest fashion brand worldwide for the third consecutive quarter as consumers endure COVID-19 lockdowns and dress in casual attire.

The finding, from fashion search engine Lyst’s latest quarterly report ranking the hottest brands and products in the space, reflects how casual attire and streetwear are the choice of consumers quarantined to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

Comfortwear is in
Lyst’s first-quarter data showed that Off-White’s loyal and engaged social following has proven invaluable to generating demand for its streetwear-style products.

Per The Lyst Index, demand for fashion face masks saw a 496 percent surge in searches over the quarter, with Off-White’s arrow face mask taking the first spot in the hottest men’s product list.

Farfetch owns Off-White, a Milan-based label founded in 2013 by CEO Virgil Abloh who also serves as artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection.

Lyst Index Q1 2020 hottest brands. Source: Lyst

In other findings, Nike rose nine places to third spot, edging Gucci into fourth place and out of the top three for the first time since The Lyst Index began.

Increase in consumer demand for products such as hoodies, sweatpants and shorts led to Nike’s surging popularity.

Nike’s Kobe 4 Protro Carpe Diem sneakers also entered the men’s hottest products list in fourth position, according to Lyst.

Page views for sneakers from the long-term collaboration between Nike and NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant spiked 733 percent after the athlete passed away in February in a helicopter crash.

Lyst Index Q1 2020 hottest women's products. Source: Lyst

Classic choice
Prada climbed two spots in The Lyst Index hottest brands ranking, coming in fifth position.

Indeed, there was a 911 percent spike in social mentions for the brand soon after the announcement in February that Raf Simons would become co-creative director alongside Miuccia Prada.

Riding coattails, the return of Mr. Simons saw his eponymous label re-enter the hottest brands list, rising 12 positions to place 17^th this quarter, per Lyst.

Chanel’s classic double-flap bag (pre-owned) saw a 75 percent increase in searches over the quarter, closing the hottest women’s products list in 10^th place, according to the index.

“Perhaps driven by the fact that Chanel does not sell bags through its own Web site, and with bricks-and-mortar luxury stores shuttered in many markets due to the coronavirus outbreak, demand for this classic investment piece has increased on second-hand marketplaces,” Lyst said.

Lyst Index Q1 2020 hottest men's products. Source: Lyst

Meanwhile, Loewe’s half-zip fleece from the Eye/Loewe/Nature outdoors collection was No. 2 in this quarter’s hottest men’s product list after being worn by Timothée Chalamet, Josh O’Connor and Justin Bieber. Per Lyst, searches for the colorful piece increased by 88 percent over the quarter.

Madrid-based and LVMH-owned Loewe also rose two places in The Lyst Index’s hottest brands ranking.

Prada’s bolo tie took seventh place in the hottest men’s products list.

As seen on Lil Nas X, Quavo and Dylan Sprouse, searches for bolo ties spiked 121 percent this quarter, per Lyst. After singer Nick Jonas wore a Prada bolo tie to the Golden Globes, demand for the item increased 78 percent in 24 hours.