Miu Miu, according to data compiled from 200 million fashion shoppers in the past 12 months by Lyst, is the hottest brand of 2023, an honor it takes home for the second year in a row.
The London-based online shopping platform on Wednesday released its annual fashion report, highlighting key brands and moments that entered the collective consciousness.
With searches increasing 39 percent year-over-year, Miu Miu tops the chart once again thanks to “another slew of viral products, celebrity-packed runway moments, hyped collaborations with New Balance and Church’s, and buzzy campaigns starring ‘It’ girl after ‘It’ girl, from Emma Corrin and Kendall Jenner to Gigi Hadid and Ethel Cain.”
Lyst noted that the brand, founded by Miuccia Prada 30 years ago, pushed searches for cashmere cardigans up 12 percent one month after its librarian-core fall 2023 show in March. Global demand for its ballet flats, meanwhile, increased 75 percent between March and September.
The brand is also responsible for the trend of the year: underwear-as-outerwear with searches up 257 percent year-over-year in 24 hours after Corrin walked down the fall 2023 runway in a pair of gold sequin knickers in Paris. The trend was later observed on the spring 2024 runways at Tom Ford, Khaite, Chloé, Stella McCartney, GCDS and Coach.
Loewe’s Anagram logo, meanwhile, was the hottest luxury symbol in 2023, Lyst said.
Searches for the brand’s Anagram basket bags were up 170 percent year-over-year, while the Anagram tank top, which became the hottest product of the second quarter according to Lyst, saw searches rising 132 percent year-over-year. Demand for the Anagram jeans reached an all-time high in June.
In terms of accessories, the report called 2023 “the year of the naked shoe.” The trend was seen on the runways of Loewe, The Row, Khaite, Bottega Veneta, Nensi Dojaka, Chanel and Stella McCartney.
The Alaïa mesh ballet flats, worn by Jennifer Lawrence and Sofia Richie, were the hottest naked shoes this year. Searches for the style increased 56 percent on Lyst in February.
The Adidas Samba was named the sneaker of the year, as it was searched every 1.7 minutes on Lyst.
The style has evolved from a football sneaker to a fashion shoe through buzzy, limited-edition collaborations such as those with Sporty & Rich and Pharrell Williams, generating more than 836 million views on TikTok. In November, searches skyrocketed 13,227 percent for the Adidas by Wales Bonner ponyskin Samba during the week the sneaker was released.
Uniqlo’s shoulder bag, which retails at less than $20, was the undisputed “It” bag of 2023, as it has generated more than 119 million views on TikTok and has sold out multiple times across multiple colorways.
Several cultural moments were mentioned in the Lyst annual report.
It listed Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour as the tour with the highest fashion impact. Following her performance wearing a bespoke “hands” bodysuit by Loewe searches for the brand jumped 140 percent on Lyst, while her rhinestone tank and cut-off shorts, designed by Miu Miu, sent demand soaring 81 percent for crystal-embellished pieces.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were the hottest fashion couple of the year. Lyst said their love for Bottega Veneta has contributed to a 35 percent rise in demand for the brand since March. Searches for the label’s Andiamo bags increased 263 percent after A$AP Rocky was seen with a pink version.
Other events that made the list included the final season of HBO’s hit TV show “Succession,” which heavily influenced the rise of the quiet luxury trend; Jacquemus’ creative digital campaigns for Le Bambino bags; Versace’s fall 2023 show in Hollywood; Kylie Jenner’s high-glam fashion week appearances; Gwyneth Paltrow’s stealth wealth courtroom attire, and the stolen Tabi saga on TikTok, which attracted more than 178 million people in the story of Nextlevellexuss’ Tabis being stolen by a Tinder date in September.
Two rising stars caught the attention of Lyst as well.
“Heartstopper” lead Kit Connor was named the rising star of 2023. With more than 5.9 billion views of the hashtag #KitConnorFashion on TikTok, he is fast becoming Gen Z’s next style icon, wearing pieces from JW Anderson, Acne Studios, Feng Chen Wang and Carhartt.
The London-based fashion designer Dilara Findikoglu, meanwhile, is the brand to watch in 2023. Year-over-year searches for the brand have increased 89 percent, thanks to dressing major stars like Kylie Jenner, Zendaya, Margot Robbie and Corrin.
Despite pulling out of the spring 2024 edition of London Fashion Week last minute, she scored a nomination for new establishment womenswear designer at the Fashion Awards, which is due to take place Monday at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Katy Lubin, vice president of brand and communications at Lyst, said the company is able to make a call on what’s hot because it has “built the largest data set in fashion, and we’re continually cutting and analyzing that shopping data, looking for insights that tell the stories of what the world wants to wear.”
This annual report provides an opportunity to “pause and reflect on the moods, movements and moments that shaped the last 12 months in fashion, and the milestones that really cut through the noise to resonate with fashion lovers” amid a fast-paced trend cycle.
“To compile this report, we look deep into our Lyst shopping data, but also out into the culture and the category, to contextualize the moments that mattered,” she noted.
Compared to the report on 2022, Lubin said some forces remain strong.
“The luxury monobrands are still driving the global style agenda, with Miu Miu our brand of the year for the second year running. K-pop stars continue to influence fashion search, and celebrity fashion icons like Rihanna have secured trend-setter status that transcends seasonal vibe shifts. But amongst this year’s hype products and viral moments, the data also highlighted the power of fashion’s wearable, accessible new everyday heroes,” she added.
