Latest Lyst Index shows collabs are key, Diesel bag is top women's product

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 27, 2022

It's been a tough three months in the world economy but shoppers have continued to buy upscale fashion in large numbers. And the latest Lyst Index, released on Wednesday for Q2, showed that they've been making some surprising choices, as well as some more predictable ones — such as diving deep into the summer season in a way they haven't been able to in the previous two years due to the pandemic.

But first, the brand ranking. For the April to June quarter, Gucci was back as the world’s hottest label after nine months of Balenciaga being on top. It was helped by collaborations with searches for the brand skyrocketing 286% in the 48 hours after its collection with Adidas was released in June. 

In fact, Adidas x Gucci Gazelle sneakers took the second spot in the hottest women’s products list, followed by Gucci’s GG slides in 10th place. Classic 1953 Horsebit loafers were fourth position in the men’s hottest product list. 

Dolce and Gabbana was among the quarter’s fastest rising brands, climbing seven places to re-enter the Lyst Index at number 15. Searches for the brand spiked 114% following the Kardashian-Barker wedding in Portofino. 

And another fast riser, Diesel (up six places) was in ninth spot. Carried by Megan Thee Stallion, Julia Fox and Paloma Elsesser, demand for its 1DR bag soared 317% in June. This made it the hottest women’s product globally, something of a surprise for the label as we don't usually find it in number one position. 

For Jacquemus — like Gucci — sports giant collaborations were key with the brand re-entering the top 20 after its link-up with Nike, as well as being boosted by its all-white AW22 catwalk show set against the salt mountains of Arles. 

The full top 20 list was Gucci first, followed by Balenciaga, then Prada, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Miu Miu, Fendi, Diesel and Burberry in the top 10. In 11th place was Versace, followed by Nike at number 12, than Adidas, Loewe, Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Moncler, Off-White and Jacquemus.

SUMMER AND SURPRISES

Now for those hottest products. We've already seen the Diesel bag and Adidas x Gucci sneaker in the top two spots on the women’s list. The Adidas shoe underlined the strength of collaborations with the most wanted products in the last three months being such launches.

Perhaps surprisingly, as challenging an item as the Jean Paul Gaultier x Lotto Volkova naked dress was at number three on the women's list. We’re used to so-called naked dresses being popular, but this one wasn't just about being ultra-revealing. It's trompe l’oeil image of a nude body on the full length dress, really did scream “naked”.

In fact, searches for naked fashion pieces featuring trompe l’oeil body prints were up 430% over the last three months, and in the week following its release, demand for this collaboration referencing Jean Paul Gaultier archive collections spiked 212%. “A new generation of archive-diving young luxury shoppers are keen to purchase a playful new take on the brand’s history”, Lyst said.

Next was the Balenciaga Le Cagole small shoulder bag, followed by the Jaded London Tech cargo trousers, playing into the ‘00s parachute trousers trend, which currently has over a billion views on TikTok.

Prada’s Symbole sunglasses in sixth spot emphasised that consumers were buying with the summer holiday season in mind, as did Miu Miu’s cotton crochet bucket hat, Loewe’s Anagram basket bag, the Fendace logo one-piece swimsuit and Gucci’s GG slides.

For men the top spot was grabbed by the Adidas Original x Wales Bonner Samba sneakers, ahead of Birkenstock’s Boston suede clogs.

Another collab piece, the Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga Dove hoodie landed in third position and Gucci’s 1953 horsebit loafers were fourth, as mentioned.

Next came a bunch of summer-focused items, such as two pairs of shorts — Levi’s 469 loose-fit denim shorts and Stone Island Compass logo patch cargo shorts. 

In seventh place we had Nike’s Air Force 1 sneakers, ahead of Ralph lauren’s cotton chino baseball cap. Ninth was Casablanca’s silk shorts with Nike’s Air Max 90 slides rounding out the top 10.