Face masks, athleisure and sandals are most popular fashion trends right now, new report says

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, people around the world are prioritising comfort and safety, with athleisure, sandals and face masks emerging as the most popular fashion trends, according to a new report.

On Wednesday, global fashion search platform Lyst released its newest 2020 Lyst Index showing the shopping behaviours of more than 9m people per month over a three-month period.

According to the report, which took into account search data on both Lyst and Google, sales, brand and social media mentions and engagement statistics worldwide during the months of April, May and June, the hottest brand in the world right now is Nike.

In addition to knocking Off-White out of the first place spot, where the luxury streetwear brand had been for the last three quarters, Nike’s number one title marked the first time a luxury fashion brand has not taken the top spot since the Lyst Index first began.

While a 106 per cent increased demand for loungewear played a large part in the brand’s recent success, the report also notes that Nike’s response to the killing of George Floyd and the recent protests against racism and police brutality that arose as a result has also resonated with consumers.

“In June calls for greater equality and racial justice swept the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of US police officers. While some brands struggled to react and adapt to the changing landscape, Nike climbed two places to become the hottest brand in the world,” the report states, adding that a “series of powerful earned and owned brand moments boosted the brand throughout the quarter”.

Following Nike, the 10 hottest brands for this quarter include Off-White, Gucci, Balenciaga, Prada, Saint Laurent, Versace, Burberry, Fendi and Bottega Veneta – many of which pledged donations for social justice causes or stepped in to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

In regards to individual fashion items, it isn’t surprising that the most popular products for both men and women over the three-month period were face masks and sandals.

For women, Birkenstock’s Arizona sandals emerged as the most popular product, with searches for the slip-on shoes increasing 225 per cent during the quarter.

And, proving that female consumers are looking for a way to inject high fashion into their new normal, second on the list was Marine Serre’s $575 limited-edition moon-print face mask.

The top products for men looked similar, with Lyst reporting that Off-White’s face mask topped the list, followed by a luxury Birkenstock-esque pair of shoes designed by Brunello Cucinelli.

Three pairs of sneakers, from Asics, Off-White and Nike, also made the top 10 list in the men’s category, along with a pair of Yeezy cotton sweatpants, a Gucci baseball cap and a JW Anderson cardigan.

You can find the full report here.