Off-White named as world’s hottest fashion brand

Virgil Abloh’s streetwear label is having a moment

A luxury Italian streetwear label has been named as the “hottest fashion brand in the world”.

Off-White topped a quarterly index compiled by Lyst, the global fashion search platform, is compiled by examining Google search data, sales and social media mentions.

Lyst singled out the company as the number one brand among fashion fans today, surpassing established names such as Gucci and Balenciaga.

In just one year, the label has risen 33 places in Lyst’s index, while searches for the brand across online retailers are up 14 per cent quarter on quarter.

Off-White is a hit with stars, and has been worn by the likes of Bella Hadid, Rihanna and Beyoncé. Success has been rapid - the label was only founded five years ago, by Virgil Abloh, who was recently named artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear.

The brand has an ongoing collaboration with Nike, which led Abloh to dress Serena Williams in his designs for the US Open, thrusting Off-White even deeper into the mainstream.

The label's success was cemented on Tuesday, when the British Fashion Council announced that Off-White had been nominated for "brand of the year" at this year's Fashion Awards alongside Balenciaga, Gucci, Prada and Burberry.

Lyst releases a new index every three months, analysing the shopping habits of more than five million people to identify the fashion industry’s trending brands and products.

Almost every label listed in the “hottest brands” list was a high-end designer, with Gucci, Balenciaga, Prada and Versace following on from Off-White’s leading spot.

In fourth place, however, was Nike, which was recognised for its World Cup sponsorships and high-profile campaigns that keep the sportswear brand firmly in the spotlight.

Dior’s famous Saddle bag took the top spot In the “hottest women’s products” category, followed by an Off-White logo belt and a pair of Birkenstock sandals.

(Lyst (Lyst)

According to Lyst, searches for the Dior's vintage-inspired handbag increased by 957 per cent in July, after several high-profile fashion influencers posted photographs of themselves with it on Instagram.

(Lyst (Lyst)

For men, the three most popular items were trainers, with Off-White’s Nike sneakers ranking highest and the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Butter sneakers coming in at second place.