Founded in London in 2010, with the luxury French Group LMVH among its main investors, Lyst is the leading online search engine in the world of fashion with the mission of helping users to quickly and easily find fashion products that perfectly reply to their tastes. To trace the direction fashion business is moving in, this year, Lyst once again oversaw the “Year in Fashion 2018” report that analyses the phenomenon and trends that characterised the sector throughout the year, made possible also thanks to the rich database of the platform.
“Year in Fashion” 2018 was in fact created from over 100 million online searches monitored on a global level and an analysis of the key words, sales figures, pages viewed and mentions on social media for more than 5 million fashion products of 12,000 e-commerce monobrands and multibrands in the period between January-November 2018.
The results of the report have been grouped into ten sections:
1.Trends
From eco-friendly fashion to “back to the 90’s”, to then move on to fluo accessories and “ugly sneakers”: trends that influenced searches, views, and the sales of fashion products.
2. Top 10 Fashion Influencers
The 10 celebrities who, with their posts on social networks and their outfits, gave rise to a strong uptrend in online searches and mentions on social media of fashion brands or products: at seventh place is Chiara Ferragni, the only Italian who qualified in the classification.
3. Top Insta Brands
The most popular fashion brands on Instagram in terms of searches, mentions, and tags: eco-friendly Veja is in first place, with the Italian brand Attico coming in at third.
4. The most popular Logos
The classification of the 10 most popular logos based on searches, sales, and mentions on social media of products with logos: Supreme and Champion beat luxury giants like Prada and Fendi.
5. Most Wanted of Instagram
From the Gucci Logo belt to Prada Flame Heels, the 10 most popular fashion products on Instagram in terms of searches, mentions, and tags on social platforms.
6. Bestsellers 2018
The 10 categories of the most popular fashion products on Instagram based on searches, mentions, and tags on social platforms: at the head of the classification are ugly sneakers and fanny packs.
7. The 10 Most Desired Shoes
The 10 most popular shoe models on Instagram based on number of searches, mentions, and tags on social platforms: the “ugly sneakers” of Balenciaga and Fila are at the head of the classification.
8. Top It Bag
The 10 most popular bags on Instagram based on number of searches, mentions, and tags on social platforms: in first place is the Gucci Marmont fanny pack.
9. The Most Unexpected 2018
A selection of the most bizarre products – from Nike Fanny Pack Slides to the Gucci balaclava – which surprisingly enough were big hits on the web.
10. Fashion Moments 2018
From the Golden Globes to the Football World Cup, “royal” orange blossoms, and the Ferragnez: these are the happenings and events that influenced searches for fashion brands and products.
Standing out in particular in the Year in Fashion 2018 report is the attention to sustainability, the boom of “logomania” and the growing power of social media, capable of consecrating with multiple “likes” the success of emerging brands – including Italian ones – while allowing for a vertiginous growth in sales of products coming from every price range.
Green fashion is a hit among stars (and instagrammers)
In 2018, eco-friendly fashion was under the spotlight in every part of the world, thanks to endorsements by international stars and the buzz created on social media. This year, Lyst registered a 47% increase in global searches for sustainable clothes, which included in particular “Vegan leather”, “organic cotton” and “econyl”. Among the most popular “green” brands was Veja at first place in the classification of the most desired brands on Instagram: searches on Lyst for eco-friendly sneakers increased by 113% from one year to the next, also thanks to an exceptional ambassador: Meghan Markle.
Return to the 90’s and 00’s: and it’s immediately logomania
They first started to appear at the beginning of the 90’s: from one end, the “middle class” that chose Ralph Lauren and the Lacoste crocodile; from the other end, lovers of rap who wore Nike and tracksuits with the unmistakable Adidas stripes. Bringing them together with Generation Y is a common passion for logos, which today must always be clearly visible (and maybe even in extra-large dimensions) to not go unobserved on social feeds. The confirmation arrives from the top 10 most popular products on Instagram in 2018: at first place in the classification is the Gucci logo belt, followed by the “industrial” belt of Off-White and Fendi monogram pantyhose which, thanks to a photo of Kim Kardashian wearing them, immediately sold out around the world.
An Italian brand among the most popular brands on Instagram
2018 was also the year of Attico, an Italian reality that with its sophisticated and contemporary creations conquered the star system, arriving at third place in the top 10 most popular brands on Instagram. Moreover, searches on Lyst for the brand founded by influencers Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini increased by 57% in the period from January-November 2018.
Chiara Ferragni, the only Italian in the category of top 10 global influencers
The Jenner-Kardashian family continues to dictate trends. Social stars Kylie and Kim are at the head of the classification of the most influential celebrities in 2018: searches on yellow bikinis immediately rose up by 81% after Kylie Jenner published a photo on Instagram where she was wearing one. Other families also had a great impact on fashion business. Meghan Markle, in fact, is not only in third place in the classification of most influential celebrities in 2018, but her royal wedding created a 184% spike in searches for “Givenchy dresses”. Kate Middleton was just as popular in the classification: searches on Jenny Packham almost tripled when the Duchess presented the world with a picture of Prince Louis wearing a red suit by the British stylist. There were then the Ferragnez newlyweds: the “convertible” Dior dress worn by Chiara Ferragni at her wedding is responsible for a +45% upswing in searches for similar garments. The fashion blogger is at seventh place in the classification of most influential celebrities in 2018: the only Italian to make the top 10, she even came in ahead of music and cinema stars of the calibre of Rihanna and Blake Lively in the classification.
“The digital revolution has radically influenced the fashion business and the way in which shopping is done and the strong impact that social media has on consumers and brands must not be underestimated. Lyst is well aware of the power of new technologies and forms of communication, as can be seen by the important role it played in monitoring Instagram for this edition of Year in Fashion”, comments Chris Morton, founder and CEO of Lyst. “Lyst constantly monitors trends and clothes of consumers in order to reply in real time to users and offer them the best shopping experience possible”.
