Gucci maintains top spot on Lyst Index; relaxing restrictions drive growth in travel and leisurewear

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jul 14, 2021

Italian luxury brand Gucci has been named as the hottest brand in fashion for the fourth consecutive quarter by Lyst, with the return of dressier options and styles for travel and leisure also being identified as key quarterly trends.

 
Calculated using data from Lyst’s own shoppers, Google searches, and mentions and engagement statistics from social media, the Lyst Index for the second quarter of 2021 has a largely unchanged top three when compared to Q1.
 
Following hot on the heels of Gucci is Dior, in second place, while sportswear brand Nike snatched third position. In the previous quarter, Dior and Nike’s positions were inverted, with the American sports label taking second place, followed by Dior, in third.

Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, climbed from seventh to fourth place, followed by Prada, which also rose from sixth to fifth between Q1 and Q2, thanks, in part, to the success of a series of influencer-approved products that trended throughout the quarter.
 
In contrast, Balenciaga and Moncler both slipped to lower rankings during Q2, with the former falling from fourth to sixth, while the latter also dropped two positions, ending up in seventh place, compared to fifth in the previous quarter.
 
Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent held steady in eighth and ninth, while Versace crept up from 11th to 10th, edging out Off-White, which dropped into 13th place.
 
More generally, the roll-out of vaccinations and lifting of lockdowns in key markets led to an increase in demand for dressier styles, as well as items associated with travel or leisure, as consumers return to social activities. Searches for dresses rose 371% in Q2 compared to the same period in 2020, while those for sunglasses and beachwear increased 198% and 192%, respectively.
 
Increasingly relaxed health and safety restrictions also meant that, with more events and performances to dress up for, celebrities had a notable influence on Lyst’s ranking of the hottest products of the quarter.
 
ailey Bieber and Dua Lipa Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa, for example, helped propel The Attico’s zebra print bikini into sixth place in the ranking of the hottest women’s products, having both been spotted wearing it. Rodarte’s daisy print dress was also given a boost by Kendall Jenner and Selena Gomez, who have been seen wearing the piece.
 
Elsewhere the likes of Cardi B, Kylie Jenner and Doja Cat helped to drive the popularity of bodycon pieces, such as Marine Serre’s Fuseaux Moonfish leggings and Mugler’s sheer panel bodysuit, which ended up in fifth and ninth place, respectively, in the top women’s product ranking.
 
Overall, the top women’s product of the quarter was the Nike Air Force One sneakers, followed by the Bottega Veneta mini Jodie bag, the Jacquemus Le bob Artichaut hat, and an organic denim top from Prada. Among men’s products, Adidas took the top spot with its Adidas Yeezy Slides, while Off-White’s Virgil sunglasses took second, followed by the Prada PRAX 01 sneakers, Versace Barocco swim shorts and Dior’s Futuristic sunglasses.
 
Men also led growth in the gender-fluid fashion trend in the quarter, with a men’s pleated skirt from Thom Browne coming in as the 10th hottest men’s fashion product. Overall, there was a 46% rise in searches related to agender fashion in the quarter.
 
Gender fluid clothing is a particularly strong trend with Gen Z, who are increasingly setting the fashion agenda. In the second quarter, they helped drive a 214% quarter-over-quarter rise in demand for rubber and resin footwear, with Adidas’ resin Yeezy slides topping the list of hottest men’s products and Gucci’s rubber sandals taking seventh place in the ranking of women’s products.
 
Sometimes, trends start on TikTok – Gen Z’s social network of choice – before migrating onto other platforms and into the mainstream. Indeed, as pointed out by Lyst, the growth of digital has been accelerated by the pandemic, and brands are now exploring the channel in new and creative ways.

During the second quarter, an NFT-linked hoodie was sold for $26,000, for example, while Gucci joined a growing number of fashion brands tapping into the world of video games, opening a virtual garden on online game platform Roblox.