2021 End of Year Fashion Report
Just like that another year has come and gone and what a year it has been.
As with 2020, 2021 was no ordinary year for fashion but that’s what fashion is all about - change and transformation. We moved away from the year of wearing sweatpants to the reintroduction of socialising, glam and red-carpet events.
We saw the revival of Y2K, the increasing popularity of gender-fluid dressing and a move away from fast-fashion with more and more brands committing themselves to sustainability moving forward.
Over 12 million people visited LovetheSales.com to start their fashion searches. We’ve crunched your searches and put together a 2021 fashion round-up. Here’s our top picks based on what you searched for.
Top Fashion Influencers of 2021
From the legendary A-List celebrity to the up and coming TikTok fashion stars, the meaning of a fashion influencer is rapidly evolving.
Through both traditional press coverage and social media, brands, celebrities and influencers are able to affect our purchasing habits more than ever.
Data and rankings are based on the increased fashion searches around the outfits each influencer has worn publicly this year. The top influencer impacting the biggest increase in fashion searches.
Kim Kardashian
Biggest 2021 fashion influencing moment: +317% increase in searches for Balenciaga clothing
September 2021, Met Gala
The now iconic Kim K Balenciaga ensemble may not have fit the Met Gala 2021 theme of ‘America’ directly, but by far was the most talked about look this year. With social media ablaze with memes and gifs in the minutes after, the Kim K outfit caused a huge frenzy for Balenciaga
2. Kate Middleton
Biggest 2021 fashion influencing moment: +257% for Bow Tie dresses
November 2021, Christmas Service
Kate’s entrance look to the Christmas Carol Service was enough to send fashion fans crazy, the sleek red dress caused demand to skyrocket hours after being spotted.
3. Harry Styles
Biggest 2021 fashion influencing moment: (+182%) for feather boas
March 2021, Love on Tour
Harry Styles now has become synonymous with pushing the boundaries of men’s fashion and the three feather boas he wore to the 2021 Grammys was no exception, each complimenting the 3 separate looks he wore.
4. Dua Lipa
Biggest 2021 fashion influencing moment: (+91%) for Gold Dresses
May 2021, BRIT Awards
In a nod to late 90s fashion, Dua Lipa provided a #throwback nostalgia piece to Vivienne Westwood with a yellow asymmetric dress with tights.
5. Lil Nas X
Biggest 2021 fashion influencing moment: (+78%) for Yellow Gucci suits
November 2021, LACMA awards
Put pop sensation Lil Nas X and fashion powerhouse Gucci together and to nobody’s surprise you get yourself a killer look that everyone was talking about and googling for as well.
Top Fashion Brands of 2021
Whether or not brands are seen as cool or trendy can change so quickly in the fashion industry, with new and emerging competitors offering the latest must have item or trend.
We at LovetheSales.com ranked the top 5 fashion brands of 2021, based on rises in brand searches and demand for a brand’s clothing.
1.Balenciaga
+150% increase in brand searches in 2021, compared with 2020.
2. GUCCI
+90% rise in fashion demand for the brand in 2021, compared to 2020
3. SKIMS
+50% increase in fashion demand for the brand in 2021, compared to 2020
4. SAVAGE X FENTY
+37% increase in fashion demand for the brand in 2021, as compared to 2020
5. Louis Vuitton
+21% increase in fashion searches for the brand in 2021, as compared to 2020
Biggest Brand Faux Pas of 2021
From just bad PR management to being socially offensive the faux pas of brands can affect their reputation severely within just days and can lead to detrimental affect on their demand in both the short and long term.
Data is based on the biggest drops in brand searches, following a fashion brand's faux pas event in 2021.
Chanel Advent Calendar
-73% drop in demand for Chanel products in December 2021
The most recent of faux pas, Chanel had huge backlash online in December after charging $825 for a calendar - consisting of little more than stickers and sample size perfumes.
2. Destruction of Coach bags
-44% drop in demand for Coach products in October 2021
The brand’s continued practice of tearing apart overstock bags and merchandise instead of donating or recycling the goods caught major headlines this year.
3. Balenciaga racist sweatpants
-27% in fashion searches for Balenciaga in September 2021
The cultural appropriation of African-American sweatpants knocked the brand down and led to outrage and usage of race as a costume.
4. Jeffrey Campbell Shoe designs
-20% in demand for Jeffrey Campbell shoes
Revealed by sources such as Diet Prada that the brand had copied shoe designs from a much smaller Black designer.
5. Givenchy Noose necklace
-10% in brand searches for Givenchy in October 2021
The brand’s runway noose necklace was considered highly offensive especially in regards to mental health and its stigma.
Top Fashion Brand Collaborations of 2021
Based on the number of times they were searched for and the volume of demand they increased.
1.The North Face x Gucci
+231% in brand searches for The North Face in December 2021
+70% in brand searches for Gucci in December 2021
The main products within the collaboration were the as pictured above puffer and a series of forrest printed bomber jackets with a forrest printed on.
2. BALENCIAGA X FORTNITE
+30% increase in brand searches for Balenciaga in September 2021
The virtual and physical capsule collection heavily featured ‘Fortnite’ print grey hoodies and a selection of baseball style caps.
3. Yeezy x Gap
+21% increase in brand searches for GAP in October 2021
In relation to the release of his album DONDA, Kanye’s Gap collaboration showed us plain hoodies and PVC jackets in a full range of colours for us to pick.
Top 4 Fashion Products for Women in 2021
Rankings are based on the biggest sales volume jump year-on-year across all female clothing.
1. Chunky Loafers
+350% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
In September, TikTok was saturated with the design as a nod to 90s fashion, its influencers and users quickly ran to buy any pair they could get their hands on.
2. Micro Bags
+273% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
With lockdown restrictions ending the micro bag has once again become a popular tote to well tote. The style’s popularity continues to show people are wanting to show their fashion in a way that moves away from utility.
3. SWEATER VESTS
+210% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
Beginning last fall with runway shows from Gucci and Prada and being seen on supermodels such as Bella Hadid, this year has been the year of the v-neck sweater vest, still continuing to dominate our Instagram feeds and shopping habits.
4. LOW-RISE JEANS
+105% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
One phrase, Y2K. From crop tops to sleeveless shirts, news sites like The Independent have reported on the rise of more skin shown in fashion. Low-rise jeans are the pinnacle of this new trend.
Top 4 Fashion Products for Men in 2021
Rankings are based on the biggest sales volume jump year-on-year across all male clothing.
1. Velvet Blazers
+114% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
From the likes of Daniel Craig to Prince William, the velvet blazer has shown us all it’s not only here to stay but is a menswear must-have item going into 2022
2. Sweater Vests
+64% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
Once considered a thing Grandad would wear, it has been popularised by male fashion icons like Harry Styles, the sweater vest has become the go-to moment for brands.
3. Pearl necklaces
+29% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
What we thought would be a fad in 2020 has become a full fashion phenomenon. With menswear moving to androgynous territory the pearl necklace has become the face of the new wave for menswear.
4. knit jumpers
+23% increase in fashion searches for the item compared to 2020
If you thought the Olympics could bring you fashion advice you’d be correct. Videos of British icon Tom Daley knitting when in the wings of his event led to a flurry of people searching for anything knitted, sewn or crochet.
Fashion searches accumulated from over 12 million UK shoppers using LovetheSales.com.
You must credit LovetheSales.com with a link back to this article, if using the above data for your own editorial purposes.
LovetheSales.com is a global fashion marketplace. Tracking demand data from over 12 million global shoppers and sales data from over 16,000 brands and retailers worldwide.
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