biggest news was that Nike jumped nine places joining the top 10 in second spot. And Dior joined the index for the first time at number three with Louis Vuitton also a newcomer at number seven. Both hadn't been included previously because of their distribution models, but their arrival on the list caused quite a lot of movement downwards.

Many names in the top 10 shifted lower with Balenciaga and Moncler down two spots, Prada and Bottega Veneta down one each, Saint Laurent dopping three places and one-time index leader Off-white down six. The changes also meant Versace, Fendi and Valentino fell out of the top 10 but stayed in the top 20.

The ranking comes from the millions of searches made via Lyst and other data, and with online shopping being key in Q1 due to further lockdowns internationally, it’s an even better reflection of what luxury shoppers are thinking and doing than usual.

It said Gucci saw strong demand from online shoppers, and was able “to create brand moments which resonate with digital audiences. Further buzz was generated by a picture of Lady Gaga and Adam Driver on the set of the forthcoming, unaffiliated movie House of Gucci”. 

Nevertheless, there was stiff competition from Dior with the demand for pre-owned Dior combined with the external data that the ranking uses making “the brand impossible to ignore”. 

Nike in second place was “buoyed partly by seasonal demand for fitness wear, but also by newsworthy moments, such as the launch of its first hands-free shoes”. The Go FlyEase racer “found broad appeal and was among the Lyst Index’s hottest products”. 

But Lyst also said that the brand’s “most talked-about moment came at the end of the quarter when [it] took a legal stance against MSCHF and rapper Lil Nas X’s unauthorised ‘Satan’ sneakers”. It was “a reminder of how unplanned moments can dominate the headlines for companies strongly embedded in culture”.

HOTTEST PRODUCTS

And talking of products, while the top brands dominated the index overall, the list of the hottest products was more varied with key items from those labels but others also scoring strongly.

To arrive at the product ranking, Lyst filters more than eight million items by volume of social media mentions, searches, page views, interactions and sales across thousands of online stores. 

For women, the top product was The North Face x Gucci GG canvas bomber jacket, followed by the Hermès pre-owned Kelly bag, Bottega Veneta Lug boot, Prada re-edition 2005 nylon bag, The Attico Devon mules, Prada satin headband, Nike Go FlyEase racer, Adidas x Ivy Park monogram bucket hat, Rolex pre-owned 40mm Submariner, and Nensi Dojaka asymmetric mini dress. 

Meanwhile for men, the top product was the Adidas Yeezy 450 sneaker, Moncler Gui vest, Prada logo bucket hat, Nike Dunk Low sneakers, Arc’teryx Beta AR jacket, Brunello Cucinelli button-down denim shirt, Patagonia Classic Retro-X fleece jacket, Salomon XT-Wings 2 Advanced sneakers, Burton Edgecomb jacket, and Rick Owens Geobasket sneakers.

Lyst said “peak sweatpants has passed” with trainers and casual pieces still big news, but “now there are signs that shoppers are eager to get out again, express themselves, and diversify away from sweats”. 

Categories such as high heels and dresses rose, with searches up 163% and 222% quarter-on-quarter. The Attico Devon mules and Nensi Dojaka’s influencer-approved strappy dress showed that. Brunello Cucinelli’s luxe denim shirt also “typifies a kind of ‘in-between’ dressing, as a phased return to the office and social occasions begins”.

Lyst added that the The North Face x Gucci number one jacket “stood apart” from other designer collabs with both brands seeing momentum while the item “was all over Instagram and instantly sold-out. Resellers subsequently asked up to five times its original price”. It expects the Gucci-Balenciaga link-up to hit big in the Lyst Index for Q2.

Luxury resale was clearly important. Demand for pre-owned Hermès bags was up by 430%, with the Kelly model particularly sought-after. Pre-owned luxury watches also saw searches rising 47%. And as searches for Yeezy spiked 121% around the launch of the hottest men’s product, resellers were asking at least double their original price. 

It’s interesting too that as the world watched the US presidential inauguration in January, senator Bernie Sanders’ Burton Edgecomb jacket became a hot product. Searches rose 96% for the brand. Meanwhile demand for red headbands increased by 560% after poet Amanda Gorman wore a Prada one to the ceremony. 

And despite “peak sweatpants” being over, sportswear and activewear continued to be in high demand, with "the ‘gorpcore’ trend for outdoors gear felt particularly strongly in menswear".