To put this into context, over 6 million shoppers browsed online for a Gucci bag, belt or shoe between October and December 2018. The two Gucci accessories that topped the top 10 product list amassed twice as many orders as the other eight products combined. The hottest accessory of all, however, was not one of Alessandro Michele’s ornate handbag designs, but the Soho Disco bag, which launched in 2014. The second, a Gucci logo belt, also suggests that customers have been playing it safe when investing in luxury goods this season.
Off-White and Balenciaga come in at second and third place respectively on the most-buzzed about brand list. "The Ten" collection by Nike x Off-White was the hottest label collaboration of 2018, as Virgil Abloh proved to be the perennial hype master once more. Balenciaga, meanwhile, saw an upspike in brand interest owing to that Michelle Obama holographic glitter boot moment, and Cardi B's endorsement of "those Balenciagas, the one that look like socks".
Good news for Moncler, whose Genius diffusion line paid off and projected the brand up 12 places into fourth position. Fendi also climbed four places to number five, in part down to its Fila collaboration and double F logo, which was much coveted by street-stylers. The hype around what Riccardo Tisci’s vision as chief creative officer of Burberry would look like, and his introduction of monthly product drops on social media, also catapulted the label up four places to enter the Lyst Index at number 10. Versace, Stone Island, Vetements and Valentino rounded up the top 10 at sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth position, respectively.
Back to the specific products that consumers have been lusting after. Footwear remains the most influential category, with shoes three out of 10 items in the hottest product list. As well as Veja, which entered the Index for the first time owing to the Meghan Markle effect – online searches for the brand increased by 113 per cent after the Duchess wore a pair of the sustainable trainers on October 21 – Dr Martens and Ugg have enjoyed something of a revival. Dr Martens' Jadon boots were the eighth most-popular women's product in Q4, while Ugg's Fluff Yeah slides came in at sixth. Cult contemporary brands, including Staud and Ganni, which entered the top 10 last season, were nowhere to be seen on the list, which Fila, Versace and Balenciaga trainers also featured on.
Perhaps the surprise hero product of Q4 was Versace’s baroque bathrobe, which enjoyed a 240 per cent search increase over the three-month period thanks to Kanye West and Drake posting pictures of themselves wearing the opulent loungewear on Instagram. The robe was the eighth most popular men’s product of the holiday period, while hiker-inspired essentials, such as North Face’s Nuptse jacket and Patagonia’s Classic Retro-X fleece jacket, took second and third place, after Nike’s Air Force 1 ’07 LV8 Utility Volt trainers. The balance, it seems, still hangs between the social currency of brands and the allure of labels that are universally recognised.
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