192: Eileen Fisher beats out The Row in a major shopping upset
Introducing Brand Rank.
Welcome to the inaugural January edition of Brand Rank, a data-driven index of the top trending fashion brands surging in real time across the retail world and on Magasin platforms.
Methodology
Brand Rank implements a weighted scoring system that takes into account retailer positioning and Magasin reader behavior.
Curated lists of “Trending Designers,” “Emerging Brands,” and respective terms have been culled from nine online shopping leaders: Net-A-Porter, Matches, MyTheresa, Moda Operandi, La Garçonne, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Garmentory, and The RealReal. These “Retailer Spotlights,” as we’re calling them, carry a weight of 1 point per brand inclusion.
A deeper audit into the top trending items—these are sometimes referred to as “bestsellers,” “featured,” or “most wanted”—from these sites (with the additions of SSENSE, Farfetch, and Saks) assigns a value of .5 points per brand featured. We’re referring to these as “Trending Products.”
On the Magasin end of things, top-clicked links from newsletter sends during the period have been organized from highest to lowest, wherein the top two products earn their brand a point value of 5, the second set of two earn 4, the third set earn 3, etc. Herein called “Magasin Clicks.”
Lastly, providing the greatest expanse of data are brand mentions in the Magasin Chat—“Chat Mentions.” Every brand mention appearing during the period earns .5 points. In January alone, there were 450 brands mentioned a total of 852 times.
If you have any thoughts or feedback about this methodology or how you’d like to see these surveys conducted in the future, please chime in via the comments or by replying to this email!
Toteme—13.5 points
This month’s winner, and it wasn’t even close. Toteme appeared in three Retailer Spotlight lists and held four Trending Product spots, pointing to its Espera tank top, smocked bikini and one-piece, and zip leggings. In the chat, where it was mentioned 17 times, there was a Toteme-shaped peg for virtually every shopping hole.Eileen Fisher—7.5 points
Rising to silver medalist on the merits of a frenzied Rue La La sale alone (readers made its Straight Pant and Bateau Neckline Top two of the most-clicked links this month), Eileen Fisher proves it can drive shopping fervor that competes with aggressively buzzy brands, despite its long standing. FWIW, both of those reader-loved pieces plus most of the Eileen Fisher site are currently up to 70% off.The Row—7 points
Needs no introduction. The Row earned points in the Trending Products column, where its Ava and Eva shoes are surging in popularity, as are its Ule blazer and Roan trousers, recently seen in our La Garçonne new arrivals coverage (although not ranked by that retailer specifically), as well as through its 10 unique mentions in the chat.Lemaire—7 points
Beating out all other brands in Magasin Clicks, Lemaire held the top spot with its Linoleum Boxing Shoes, still going for just about half off at SSENSE. Its Housse dress, while it did not earn any points, also broke the top 25. It appeared on just one Retailer Spotlight but earned points back in the chat, where its Croissant bag was among recommendations for a good travel crossbody and readers answered questions about its boots.Lauren Manoogian—7 points
Oft recommended on the newsletter, Lauren Manoogian ranked among the top five Magasin Click drivers with its now-elusive Double-Knit Trench. It advanced further with a healthy dose of Chat Mentions from readers asking about the coat as well as buying and selling their own Manoogian knits to much fanfare.Tibi—7 points
Due to its direct-to-consumer model, the entirety of Tibi’s points were earned on the Magasin side rather than via retailer pages. The scope of Chat Mentions pointed to a vast range of Tibi staples, from its cult sweaters to favored trouser cuts.Eres—6.5 points
Similarly, Eres was buoyed by Magasin reader enthusiasm, earning itself an entire thread of Chat Mentions from longtime wearers who swore up and down that the brand’s suits are worth their high price. Some even offered up sale pages—it’s currently marked down on SSENSE, MyTheresa, FWRD, and The Outnet.Jacquemus—5.5 points
Appeared in three Retailer Spotlight lists and held three Trending Product spots, two of which were variations on the famed (and quantifiably still kicking) Le Chiquito—original and long—plus the deeply on-sale Le Chouchou dress (down to $150 right now).Emme Parsons—5.5 points
A high earner on the Magasin Click front, Emme Parsons came in second with its High Throat Ballerinas, the starry-night party flats that have been quickly selling out since launching late last year.Maryam Nassir Zadeh—5.5 points
Despite the heavy hush hanging over the Lower East Side designer and community lynchpin for the past 18 months, MNZ remains a focal point in fashion conversations. Among the highest ranking in Chat Mentions, readers swapped advice on the brand’s Lara Tote, Belmont Boots, and Dance Pants, among others.COS—5.5 points
Holding the top spot for a “mall brand,” COS shuffled into 11th place through Chat Mentions sprinkled broadly over the course of the month. Readers were quick to call out that its trousers are a great fir for curvier bodies.Aeyde—5.5 points
A rising name in shoes and bags for the past year, Aeyde appears to have taken By Far’s place as the de facto source for quality mid-range leather goods. The chat was on the ball, calling out sales when they arose and recommending its pointed kitten-heel boots.Dries Van Noten—5.5 points
Retailers and readers appear to hold Dries to the same high esteem, with the brand appearing in three Retailer Spotlight lists and holding two Trending Product spots: a dramatic tuxedo coat and checkered sequin shift dress.Maison Margiela—5.5 points
While also mentioned for its quality denim, Margiela naturally earned most points due to its tabis: high Magasin Clicks on a pair of white ballerinas and Chat Mentions that included the successful sale of a pair of ankle boots.Reformation—5 points
A frequent answer in the chat to the question of where to shop for wedding guest dresses (Reformation’s most reliable role), but also cosigned for its denim, knits, and matching sets.Agolde—5 points
Among the many jeans brands that were recommended across retailers and in the chat—Citizens of Humanity, Levi’s, and Acne Studios among them—Agolde was the most popular. Its styles that ranked on Trending Product pages included the Lanas, the ‘90s Pinch, and the Stovepipes.Uniqlo—5 points
For its Lemaire-designed Uniqlo U line and beyond. Denim was a big draw for Chat Mentions, as was its HeatTech in the various inquiries to how cold-weather people manage the season.High Sport—4.5 points
At the eye of many conversations happening in a certain stratum of fashion right now, High Sport appeared in one Retailer Spotlight and was behind five Trending Product spots (all variations on its Kick Flare Pants). It’s worth noting that while it also enjoyed a fair number of Chat Mentions, many centered around plausible dupes—for which Donni, Everlane, Only Navy, Gap, and Spanx were offered enthusiastically.J.Crew—4.5 points
J.Crew’s Chat Mentions were split between those lamenting its decline in quality despite an uptick in influencer campaigns and those who count themselves lifers (their suggestion: Shop from the men’s department for the highest quality).Clare V.—4.5 points
A wild card, as Clare V. is not usually on my radar, but readers secured a spot for the brand on this list through Chat Mentions, recommending it in a broad range of categories from travel bags to airplane knits to jolly totes.
Honorable mentions: The Elder Statesman as a cultural touchpoint featured prominently in this month’s Max coverage and appearing on one Retailer Spotlight; Valentino Garavani, an unlikely name, but which held eight Trending Product spots across four retailers; and Marine Serre for having its logo-print long-sleeve appear as a top Trending Product four times across two retailers.
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Love stats! Love this intel! The index we didn’t know we needed 💪💥
Super interesting! I have some Toteme items from prior years that I like a lot. Recently ordered some items in the sale and was disappointed. Sent it all back but 1 item. They did not spark joy. I was also taken aback that every single item was made in China. So many independent brands are able to make their garments in Europe and the US at that price point.