Fashion’s Hottest Brands and Products Q4 2021

Fashion mourns
Virgil Abloh

This quarter The Lyst Index – and the fashion world – lost one of its brightest stars with the tragic death of Virgil Abloh, founder of Off-White and creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. The volume of tributes from both industry insiders and consumers reflected the immense impact and following which Abloh, 41, had built in a relatively short space of time. In the 18 quarters The Lyst Index has been running, Off-White has taken the number one position in the hottest brands list 5 times. The only brand to achieve more number one positions is Gucci, and the only other brands ever to have made the top spot are Balenciaga and Nike – all larger and longer-established labels.

From his social-first approach to building and engaging a community, to his innate understanding of what younger luxury consumers want, to the way he broke down barriers in the industry increasing diversity and representation, Abloh leaves a giant gap and will be greatly missed. Off-White is not included in the hottest brands ranking this quarter while the company comes to terms with the loss of its founder but some of the label’s greatest hits from previous Lyst Index reports are below.

Elsewhere in the fourth quarter, on-screen style continued to set the agenda. The release of House of Gucci helped to make Gucci’s 1953 Horsebit loafers the hottest men’s product, while TV series Succession, And Just Like That, Emily in Paris and even Squid Game all drove significant demand for items and styles worn by the protagonists. Balenciaga retains its position as hottest brand in the world for the second successive quarter, with The Simpsons collaboration for its S/S ‘22 show in October setting social media ablaze and ushering in a new era of fashion as entertainment. Towards the end of quarter, Balenciaga unveiled its F/W ‘22 collection with a VHS-style video.

The relationship between sport and fashion continued to grow, with major luxury brands appointing athletes as ambassadors, and releasing new outdoors, active and ski collections. The ‘gorpcore’ trend has remained popular throughout the year, with an uptick in the fourth quarter as consumers sought technical outerwear and footwear that can withstand the elements. Among the quarter’s hottest products, Prada’s Re-Nylon bucket hat (propelled by a TikTok challenge that garnered billions of views), The Frankie Shop’s quilted jacket, Arc’Teryx’s Alpha SV jacket and balaclavas from Miu Miu and Stone Island all speak to this movement. With health and political uncertainty rising again, a survivalist element began to filter into fashion too.

At the other end of the spectrum, the festive season brought an increase in demand for partywear. While going-out styles have diversified in recent quarters, to include categories such as party knitwear and party pyjamas, Nensi Dojaka’s sheer tulle bustier top, Gucci and Balenciaga’s The Hacker Project crystal jacket (worn by Beyoncé) and Saint Laurent’s 68 crystal-embellished boots (seen on Hailey Bieber) were among the most-wanted specific items. It seems that dressing up is far from dead.

As a second tumultuous year drew to a close, and some brands grappled with supply chain issues, initiatives with NFTs and gaming platforms made headlines. Brands began to experiment with metaverse-inspired virtual experiences and commerce, while the future for fashion more broadly seems to lie in entertainment, collaboration and community.