Thanks to Ye, Balenciaga Remains Fashion's Hottest Brand
Lyst is back with its trusty quarterly trend report and, in a shocking turn of events, Balenciaga continues to rank as fashion's hottest brand (that was sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell).
For a second consecutive quarter, the Demna-led house dominated Lyst searches and sales, as well as Google queries, engagement statistics, and social media mentions.
Lyst mentioned all the collaborations and Demna's medal as key factors to Balenciaga's success but, really, someone by the name of Kanye West probably has much more to do with it.
The perpetually buzzed-about rapper is a staunch supporter of brand, often wearing it in public and dressing his paramours in pieces hot off the runway (cough cough, Julia Fox and Kim Kardashian). He even recruited Demna to oversee the aesthetic of his DONDA listening parties.
Solidifying his bromance with the Georgian designer, Ye announced a YEEZY x GAP x Balenciaga menage à trois earlier this month.
But enough about Balenciaga. Lyst ranked Gucci and Prada as the second and third hottest brands of Q4, respectively. Moncler, which ranked at number 11 in Q3, shot up six places, a testament to the brand's impressive roster of collaborations.
Bottega Veneta, on the other hand, was demoted from seventh to tenth hottest brand, perhaps owing to the surprise departure of creative director Daniel Lee.
Speaking of surprises, there were some unexpected inclusions in Lyst's roundup of most searched-for products. LVMH Prize winner Nensi Dojaka's bustier top was the sixth-hottest women's item, while Gucci's 1953 horsebit loafers took the cake as number one for men (the House of Gucci effect is real).
Balaclavas — specifically, those by Miu Miu and Stone Island — were also a hot commodity, reflective of fashion's perhaps problematic taste for head coverings. ("People are able to wear a balaclava and be perceived as trendy or cool, but a hijab can be seen as a symbol of oppression or political," content creator Sagal Jama told The New York Times.)
Less unexpectedly, Prada's logo bucket hat (a TikTok favorite), Balenciaga's Neo Classic bag, and the gargantuan adidas' YEEZY NSLTD boots were also coveted items among online shoppers.
The main takeaway from Lyst's Q4 2021 report? Like it or not, fashion answers to one man, two letters: Ye.
