Meghan Markle. Photo: Getty
The Duchess of Sussex’s status as one of the world’s biggest influencers has been cemented by statistics from global fashion search platform Lyst. Throughout 2019, Meghan’s public-facing looks sparked a 216 percent increase in consumer searches for similar fashion. Joining the royal in the most powerful dressers category are Gen Z names, including Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Billie Eilish and Cardi B.
While Off-White reclaimed the crown for most searched-for brand of the year from Gucci, Bottega Veneta emerged as the breakout brand of 2019. Pyer Moss, Jacquemus, Paco Rabanne and Molly Goddard rounded out the top five labels generating the most hype in the fashion arena. Daniel Lee’s cult Bottega Veneta The Pouch bag and Stretch Sandals jumped straight to the top of the most-wanted product list, with Gucci’s GG logo accessories, Jacquemus’s Le Chiquito bag and Prada’s bucket hat also proving popular.
Based on fast-growing search terms over the last six months, Lyst predicts that Rotate Birger Christensen, which rose 27 percent, ALYX (36 percent), Marine Serre (32 percent) and Cecilie Bahnsen (38 percent) will be the brands making the biggest waves in 2020.
The movement towards a more sustainable and inclusive fashion sphere is also set to continue apace. Searches for environmentally friendly materials rose exponentially this year, including a 102 percent spike in econyl and a 130 percent in repreve. Weekday’s Row sky blue jeans, which are made from organic cotton, were the best-selling jeans of 2019 and landed at number nine in Lyst’s most-wanted product ranking. Our shopping habits also shifted towards resale and rental, with an increased interest in the former generating a 55 percent spike in traffic to vintage products.
“Woke” shoppers sparked a 52 percent increase in searches for “genderless” and “gender-neutral” fashion. “Adaptive” and “modest” clothing terms rose 80 and 90 percent respectively, too.
Other industry headlines were celebrity driven, including Rihanna’s Fenty fashion house launch and her Savage X Fenty presentation; J-Lo closing the Versace spring/summer 2020 show wearing that jungle-print dress two decades after the 2000 Grammys, and Cardi B living her best life at the Chanel show last season.
Originally published on Vogue.co.uk
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