For Luxury Brands, Collaborations and Destination Runway Shows Are Paying Off

The Lyst Index for Q2 2022 found that these strategies can really boost a fashion house's buzz.

Collaboration, "hacking," "swap," "interaction" — no matter what the powers that be decide to call the partnership between two separately buzzy fashion brands that come together to release an even buzzier product, it continues to be a surefire way to get consumer attention. Same goes for destination runway shows and events, according to the Lyst Index for Q2 2022.

Released on Wednesday, the fashion technology company's latest quarterly ranking of the hottest and products in fashion and assessment of the industry confirmed that limited-edition partnerships, like Gucci x Adidas and Yeezy Gap, can still move the needle. One example: In the 48 hours after the former dropped, searches for Gucci skyrocketed 286%; the Adidas x Gucci Gazelle sneakers came in second on the ranking of hottest women's products for Q2.

"Dropping the right remix can create a major brand moment and drive brand heat for both parties involved," Lyst wrote in the report.

The top two brands on Lyst's list of hottest brands — Gucci and Balenciaga — both had buzzy collaborations drop or be announced in Q2. (Coincidentally, they've "hacked" one another in the recent past.) Gucci passed Balenciaga to reclaim the #1 spot, with Lyst highlighting its partnership with Adidas and limited-edition capsule with Harry Styles as major moments. "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," the report read.

Another thing both Gucci and Balenciaga did in Q2 that kept them at the top, according to Lyst: Stage destination runway shows.

"While some have questioned the ethics of flying guests thousands of miles for minutes of runway action, a 'wow' fashion show location guarantees a spectacle and even more content creation opportunities for invitees," Lyst wrote. "This quarter's Index proves there is huge brand value in claiming a memorable IRL moment."

Gucci presented its Resort 2023 collection in Puglia; Balenciaga its Spring 2023 line in New York City. Dolce & Gabbana cracks the Lyst Index's ranking of the 20 hottest fashion brands at #15, following Kourtney Kardashian's wedding to Travis Barker in Portofino, which appeared to be all but explicitly sponsored by the controversial Italian luxury house. (The report said that "searches for the brand [spiked] 114%" after the nuptials.) Louis Vuitton, which came in at #5, had its Cruise 2023 show in San Diego; Dior, #6, had its in Seville.

The Lyst Index corroborated what we've seen runway after recent runway: Y2K trends are still going strong — as evidenced by the Diesel 1DR being crowned "hottest women's product in the world this quarter" by Lyst, by searches for small shoulder bags (a staple of the era) going up 59% in Q2 and by cargo trousers ranking among the most sought-after pieces.

See the Lyst Index's rankings of the hottest fashion brands, women's fashion products and men's fashion products for Q2 2022, below.

The hottest fashion brands of Q2 2022:

1. Gucci

2. Balenciaga

3. Prada

4. Valentino

5. Louis Vuitton

6. Dior

7. Miu Miu

8. Fendi

9. Diesel

10. Burberry

11. Versace

12. Nike

13. Adidas

14. Loewe

15. Dolce & Gabbana

16. Saint Laurent

17. Bottega Veneta

18. Moncler

19. Off-White

20. Jacquemus

The hottest women's fashion products of Q2 2022:

1. Diesel 1DR bag

2. Adidas x Gucci Gazelle sneaker

3. Jean Paul Gaultier x Lotta Volkova naked dress

4. Balenciaga Le Cagole small shoulder bag

5. Jaded London Tech cargo trousers

6. Prada Symbole sunglasses

7. Miu Miu cotton hat

8. Loewe Anagram basket bag

9. Fendace logo one-piece swimsuit

10. Gucci Original GG slide sandal

The hottest men's fashion products of Q2 2022:

1. Adidas Originals x Wales Bonner Samba sneakers

2. Birkenstock Boston suede clogs

3. Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga Dove hoodie

4. Gucci 1953 Horsebit loafers

5. Levi's 469 loose-fit denim shorts

6. Stone Island Compass logo-patch cargo shorts

7. Nike Air Force 1 sneakers

8. Polo Ralph Lauren cotton chino ball cap

9. Casablanca Ping Pong monogram silk shorts

10. Nike Air Max 90 slides

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