Gucci Defeats Balenciaga for World's Hottest Brand

Balenciaga was the hottest brand for Q3 2021, Q4 2021, and Q1 2022, following a stellar year of runway shows, collaborations with Fortnite, The Simpsons, and Kanye West for the DONDA album, and its knockout looks at the MET Gala. However, Gucci now comes back from second place into the top spot — somewhere it hasn’t been since Q1 2022 — following the unaffiliated release of the House of Gucci film, as well as a standout year thus far that’s seen the Alessandro Michele-helmed house drop collaborations with Adidas, present its “Cosmogonies” Resort 2023 collection in Puglia, and tease the “HA HA HA” collection made in conjunction with Harry Styles, who has gone on to become more than just a fan of the brand, but somewhat of a muse.

Furthermore, Gucci has leaned into the digital realm more than ever with its virtual Roblox town and the drop of the Oura ring, while campaigns starring Snoop Dogg and Jared Leto, or the continuing afterglow of its collaboration with The North Face, have all come together to play a part in Gucci’s reign.

From third to 10th, we find Prada (HKSE:1913.HK +0.57%) (with help from Raf Simons and Cassius Hirst), Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Miu Miu, Fendi, Diesel, and Burberry. Rounding out the top 20, in order, are Versace, Nike, Adidas, LOEWE, Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Moncler, Off-White™ and finally, in 20th place, Jacqeumus.

This list goes to show the movements in fashion trends and the overall scene — a strong year for Jacqeumus moves it into the top 20 by one place, while Bottega Veneta losing Daniel Lee in lieu of Matthieu Blazy has seen it shift from eighth last season to 17th, perhaps also due to the brand’s bags becoming a once-big-hit and now part of everyday life, as they are less sought-after today.

Diesel jumps from 15th to ninth thanks to Daniel Lee’s continued strong efforts to put on groundbreaking shows and get the clothes on top socialities such as Kylie Jenner, Julia Fox, and Dua Lipa, while it seems that Balenciaga’s shift from first to second might be due to possible oversaturation and the fashion world moving away from its aesthetic.

As Lyst notes, “Gucci and Balenciaga have dominated the fashion conversation since the Lyst Index launched in 2017, both amongst consumers and industry insiders. This quarter sees Gucci narrowly reclaim the number one spot, after 9 months of Balenciaga topping the chart. The brands’ aesthetics couldn’t be more different; Alessandro Michele’s colorful, maximalist utopia sits in stark contrast with Demna’s dark, dystopian vision. But together, the two Kering-owned fashion houses are now powering a huge 21% of the overall Lyst Index heat score generated by the top 20 brands.”