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Fashion thrives on change, but the mood of flux has felt more pronounced than usual in 2023. Trends ranged from quiet luxury to hyperrealism and stripped-back shows to viral moments, all against a backdrop of sociopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Lyst’s 2023 Year in Fashion report, released today, features a cohort of brands, trends and personalities that are a colourful, contradictory mix, reflecting this year’s relentless trend cycle and the fragmentation of the fashion audience online, says Katy Lubin, Lyst’s VP of brand and communications.
“Looking back to last year’s report, some forces remain strong,” says Lubin. “Luxury mono-brands are still driving the global style agenda, and K-pop stars continue to influence fashion search. The loud discourse about quiet luxury shaped how we shop, and among this year’s hype products and viral moments, we’ve seen the emergence of wearable, accessible new everyday heroes.”
From the influencers driving fashion inspiration to the unexpected high street products competing with luxury players, Vogue Business breaks down some of the highlights from the report.
The brand: Miu Miu
For the second year running, Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu takes top spot as hottest brand of the year for 2023, with searches up 39 per cent on last year. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Miu Miu has recently surpassed sister label Prada when it comes to brand heat, with celebrity campaigns featuring Emma Corrin, Ethel Cain and Kendall Jenner, collaborations with New Balance and Prada Group brand Church’s, and a slew of viral products. The Miu Miu ballet flats, which helped the brand ascend the Lyst rankings in 2022, continued to drive buzz through 2023: Searches increased 75 per cent between March and September. Then there’s the logo cardigan, introduced on the Autumn/Winter 2023 runway in February, which drove a 12 per cent spike in searches for cardigans on Lyst.
The logo: Loewe
Loewe’s anagram logo, spotted on tank tops, T-shirts and totes alike, has hit the mainstream this year as the brand’s star continues to rise under designer Jonathan Anderson. Part of the buzz is driven by its high-quality, if-you-know-you-know basics. Loewe was the hottest brand in Q2 2023, driven by its anagram logo tank top — the hottest product of Q2, with search up 132 per cent year-on-year. Subsequently, Loewe’s anagram jeans, featuring an all-over logo, peaked in June. In accessories, search is up 170 per cent for Loewe’s Anagram basket bag, prompting a surge in Loewe dupes as people grapple to find similar products.
The trend: Hot pants
The so-called hemline index — which suggests that hemlines lengthen in times of economic uncertainty — might need a rethink in 2023. In this particular moment of economic pressure, hemlines are becoming as short as can be. After Emma Corrin walked down the AW23 Miu Miu runway in a pair of gold sequin knickers in February, searches for the brand spiked 257 per cent in 24 hours. In the months that followed, panties and hot pants were spotted on the likes of Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Jennie Kim and Kylie Jenner. They then featured at several shows during the SS24 season, including Tom Ford, Khaite, GCDS and Stella McCartney, signalling the trend is here to stay. The general consumer is buying in: search for hot pants is up 133 per cent on 2022.
The bag: Uniqlo’s crossbody bag
Uniqlo’s viral crossbody bag, popularised on TikTok, is the cheapest-ever product to feature in Lyst’s Year in Fashion. Unlike last year’s top accessory, the Prada Re-Nylon bag, this year’s bag of the year retails for a mere £14.90 and has become the Japanese global brand’s bestselling bag of all time. The hashtag #uniqlobag has over 120 million views on TikTok as users share their favourite colourways and styling tips. Uniqlo itself leaned into its TikTok fame, creating “what fits in the bag” installations in its newer stores, showing some of the unexpected items it can hold, inspired by TikTok content.
The influencer: Jennie Kim
Blackpink’s Jennie Kim, hot off her acting debut in HBO’s The Idol, continued to inspire legions of young fans’ fashion choices in 2023, with appearances at her own concerts, plus the Cannes Film Festival and her very first Met Gala. The Chanel ambassador drove the biggest spikes in searches, sales, news coverage and social media mentions after public appearances over the last 12 months, according to Lyst. In May, Kim dropped a capsule collection for Calvin Klein, for which she reinterpreted the iconic CK logo in her handwriting. Searches for the brand increased 22 per cent on Lyst in the following days. On the day Kim wore her Cecilie Bahnsen x Asics Mary-Jane trainers in New York in August, Cecilie Bahnsen saw a 27 per cent spike in page views.
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The brand to watch: Dilara Findikoglu
Despite taking a pause for SS24, rising London label Dilara Findikoglu is Lyst’s brand to watch for 2023. Known for its directional, historically inspired gowns and corsetry, in 2023, the brand was seen on Zendaya, Margot Robbie, Emma Corrin and Kylie Jenner, across magazine covers and red carpet appearances, prompting year-on-year searches for the label to spike 89 per cent. The brand did not show on the catwalk in September but held an 18th century-themed Halloween dinner and party in the London Edition last month, driving social media buzz.
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