Fashion’s Hottest Brands and Products Q3 2022

Superbrands for Superfans

Being a fashion fan has become an immersive, always-on pop cultural experience. In a summer packed with extravagant show spectacles, standout celebrity looks, launches, re-launches, drama, chaos and fun, it’s a wonder that the fashion industry’s millions of highly engaged digital spectators also found time to shop. From Haute Couture in July to September’s Fashion Weeks, the content was constant, and the searches held strong. Despite global economic instability, luxury fashion brands and their customers are so far proving fairly resilient, or oblivious to, these headwinds. This quarter’s hottest brands achieved viral buzz on social media while also stimulating urgent and global customer demand for their products on Lyst.

Milan is having a major moment, with Italian houses now dominating the Top 20. Gucci retains the number one spot for the second consecutive quarter, while Prada, Valentino, Miu Miu, Fendi, Diesel and Versace all move upwards within the Top 10. Searches for Prada increased 44% this quarter, propelling the brand into second position and its highest ever Index placement, thanks to solid demand for the logo tank top, signature nylon accessories and sunglasses over the summer. Sister brand Miu Miu jumps two places, moving into fifth position. In September, big shows and big celebrities democratized access to Milan fashion week, with explosive results. Paris Hilton walked the Versace runway, causing a 2000% increase in searches for the brand. Dolce & Gabbana climbs three spaces in the ranking, thriving on the controversy of working with Kim Kardashian as collection curator and brand ambassador.

Bottega Veneta jumps up six positions; in-the-know shoppers are searching for the luxurious Kalimero bag from Matthieu Blazy’s debut collection, while fashion fans and industry insiders lauded his second show on social media. Jacquemus, the only independent label in the Top 20, is still on the rise; the eponymous designer’s choice to share his wedding on Instagram deepening the intimate connection he is building with a loyal and engaged customer base online.

While we used to group the Hottest Products lists into separate men’s and women’s rankings, we’ve increasingly seen more items appearing in both lists simultaneously. Although most brands and retailers are still labeling and marketing items as either menswear or womenswear, we’re now grouping all products together into one list, to better reflect the growing popularity of cult items appealing to all shoppers. The Q3 2022 Lyst Index Hottest Products list is now one definitive, genderless chart, with seven out of ten items this quarter purchased by both male and female shoppers.

Miu Miu’s ballet flats are the hottest product of the quarter, with a 1,100% spike in searches. As worn by Sydney Sweeney, Rosalía and Bella Hadid, they play into the balletcore and noughties revival ‘indie-sleaze’ trends. Sold out across multiple retailers in multiple colorways, this is the fifth Index appearance for the Birkenstock Boston clog, which is fast becoming the defining shoe of the post-pandemic fashion era. The Adidas Samba is the only sneaker to make the list. Balenciaga’s wraparound sunglasses are the hero product behind the season’s biggest eyewear trend, with shoppers hunting for ‘sports’ ‘wraparound’ and ‘rave’ shades. Balenciaga’s swift oval style are the most wanted pair on Lyst, but shoppers are also viewing similar shaped styles by Oakley, Bottega Veneta and Versace.