The British online fashion search engine Lyst has once again published its ranking of the “hottest” brands and products in the fashion world. In the fourth quarter, the fashion houses Balenciaga and Gucci, which belong to the Kering Group, cemented first and second place respectively. The French fashion house Dior, which was third in the third quarter, fell to sixth place.
That left third, fourth and fifth places for Italian fashion house Prada, French fashion house Louis Vuitton and Italian fashion house Moncler, known for its skiwear. Prada and Louis Vuitton both climbed a spot, while Moncler climbed into the top ten – spurred by its top spot in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for textiles, apparel and luxury goods, the launch of the brand’s first fragrance and collaborations with Fortnite, Hoka and Evian.
Balenciaga continues to impress
Lyst experts attribute Balenciaga’s continued success to a collaboration with The Simpsons for the SS22 runway show and the unveiling of the FW22 collection in the “Lost Tapes” video. Designer Demna Gvasalia was also celebrated at the CFDA Awards.
Italian fashion house Fendi, French fashion house Saint Laurent and Italian luxury labels Versace and Bottega Veneta rounded out the top ten in seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth place, as in the third quarter, but in a slightly different order (Bottega Veneta, Versace, Fendi and Saint Laurent was the order in the previous quarter).
Industry bids farewell to Virgil Abloh
The last quarter of 2021 also saw the death of Off-White founder and creative director menswear at Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh, which had a major impact on the industry: “In the 18 quarters that the Lyst Index runs, Off-White has five times took first place in the list of the hottest brands. The only brand that has had more top spots is Gucci, and the only other brands that have ever made it to the top are Balenciaga and Nike – all larger and longer-established labels,” summarizes Lyst.
Balenciaga also scored high in the ranking of women’s most desirable fashion items, with the fashion house leading the way in the fourth quarter with its Neo Classic handbag, followed by Prada’s Re-Nylon bucket hat and The Frankie Shops padded teddy jacket.
Men’s products are becoming more elegant
Men’s products got smarter, with Gucci’s 1953 Horsebit Loafer topping the list instead of adidas’ Yeezy Foam Runner sneaker from the third quarter, followed by the Omega Seamaster Diver 300 watch. Athletic shoes first appeared this quarter with Off-Whites Out of Office Sneakers in sixth place.