Balenciaga has overtaken Gucci to become fashion’s hottest brand, according to new data compiled by The Business of Fashion and Lyst. A new logo and a Collette residency insured the Demna Gvasalia-designed brand shot up two places to become the most coveted, stealing the throne from the Italian powerhouse that recently launched Gucci Décor, as well as announcing its upcoming collaboration with Dapper Dan.
Photo: Vogue
Balenciaga Fall 2017 Ready-to-Wear collection
What’s perhaps more surprising about the findings, however, is the prominence of streetwear brands in the top 10 list. This quarter, four out of five new entrants – Off-White, Stone Island, Moncler and Raf Simons – fall into the streetwear category, many of them championed by influential rappers and artists. Outerwear and casual specialists, Stone Island, jumped a whopping 33 places, no doubt thanks to an upcoming collaboration with Supreme and due to Drake’s insistence on donning the brand onstage throughout his world tour.
Stone Island X Supreme Fall 2017
Similarly, homegrown talent, Skepta, instigated a spike in searches for Moncler after being papped in its latest collaboration with Craig Green. Kanye West’s Yeezy – which ranked number two last year – was knocked out of the top ten this season.
Moncler C by Craig Green Fall 2017
The biggest success story this quarter is of course Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, leaping 33 places up the list to reach number three. Abloh represents fashion’s new breed of designers that so lucratively merge streetwear styling with high-end production methods.
Photo: Stylensnitch
I’m wearing Off-White boots
Cashing in on the Instagram generation, Off-White has collaborated with spectacle specialists, Warby Parker, while its biggest driver of engagement was Abloh’s highly sought after partnership with Nike that saw him reimagine legendary models from its archive like the Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Blazer and Air Force 1.
Lyst’s top ten products were less influenced by streetwear and its proponents, however, though Balenciaga’s Speed Trainer did take the top spot.
This ranking continued to be dominated by womanswear, with footwear filling five places on the list. Gucci’s Bloom sliders were the only re-entrants.
Written by Thea Carley
