L.E.K. Consulting Brand, a global strategy consultancy, recently surveyed nearly 4,000 US customers between the ages of 15 and 55 to help brands identify their popularity among others between different generations and genders.
The survey was called the Brand Heat Index, which successfully determined that for consumers residing in the U.S.A., Calvin Klein and Michael Kors have yet again led the charts in both men and women in the dress wear category.
Brands in the Speciality retail and the Direct-to-Customer (DTC) have specially performed well for women. Bonobos and Suitsupply have done particularly well in the men’s department concerning millennials and GenZ. This is how the Index can rank brands from generations like – GenZ, Millennial, and GenX through four categories, Men’s apparel and footwear and Women’s apparel and Footwear.
Talking about sportswear, Nike was able to top the charts, followed by Lululemon and Gymshark. Other popular brands doing athletic wear were Under Armour, Champion, and Adidas, which did well in both men’s and women’s categories.
Opinion on other brands than Calvin Klein
Shein, Fashion Nova, and PrettyLittleThing aced it in the casual wear department and proved again how fast fashion brands have taken a strong liking among youngsters. Similarly, for men, Carhartt and Levi’s have gained a liking for workwear purposes. Outdoor wear also saw admiration rise for brands like The North Face, Columbia, and Patagonia coming into the arena.
Surprisingly, Nike was not able to do as well as it did last year in the athletic footwear category as the brand On surpassed it topping the women’s category. The primary reason is affiliated with the popularity of the brand with millennials and Gen X. Unlike the swap in women’s athletic wear, men’s athletic wear saw Nike and Brand Jordan remain the hottest choices of the crowd, followed by Adidas and Under Armour.
Coming to the footwear section of the survey, dress footwear for women saw Steve Madden, Coach, and Michael Kors take up the top, majorly because of the highly influential style and brand appeal. For men’s dress footwear, different generations had different favorites. While the GenZ and the millennials favored ack Erwin, Sandro Moscoloni, and Wolf and Shepherd, the overall attraction for Cole Haan and Ferragamo was not to be missed. Hugo Boss saw a drop to the eighth position, lying flat before the popularity and appreciation of the other brands.
Moving from dress to casual footwear, Uggs did brilliantly well in the women’s outdoor category, while Timberland and Columbia got the admiration of the men. Overall, in the women’s category, Crocs, Vans, Converse, and Allbirds were hugely popular following Uggs in the Index.
This year’s Brand Heat Index has been able to provide valuable inputs regarding brands and consumer behaviors. While new fashion brands like HeyDude, Hoka, and On have gained substantial popularity, legacy brands like Nike and Columbia still have a tight hold of their choices, offering experience, consistent messages, and authenticity to the mass.
L.E.K. Managing director and survey report co-author Laura Brookhiser claim that younger consumers have a stronger liking towards fast fashion brands such as Zara and Lulus while the older generations are more likely to emphasize comfort and quality.
She also says that GenZ men focus more on brands appreciated by name, and less on the dress footwear category, citing the restricted common knowledge. This behavior is a result of the newly recognized “casualization trend”, well-liked in the younger generations, probably seeing the shift from the workplace to a work-from-home reality.
Going through such votings can be a lookout at trends and brand names honestly appreciated by the consumers and a way for the brands to look for future possibilities.
