236: Damning evidence of a jelly sandal summer ahead

Brand Rank: May Edition.

Jun 03, 2024

Welcome to the May 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. See April’s Brand Rank here.

Methodology

If you are new to Brand Rank (and in that case, likely Magasin), welcome! If you’re a veteran, you might want to give this section a fresh read before blowing through to the meat of this monthly send, as we’ve changed a few things around since April.

Brand Rank implements a weighted scoring system that assesses Magasin coverage and reader behavior in four categories: Chat Mentions, Post Mentions, Clicks, and Orders.

While these metrics have historically been culled manually—picture two of us combing through the chat and tallying up clicks for a combined 15+ hours—our process has been exponentially up-leveled thanks to friend of the newsletter and data savant Kate Curran. Where before there was only the sweat, blood, and tears of painstaking data entry, now we have The Tool, an elegant (and proprietary!!) suite of functions that analyzes our bulk .txt file uploads and turns out a weighted list with a degree of precision not previously possible. You can imagine how happy this makes me!!!

Here’s how The Tool is crunching numbers:

Every brand mentioned in the highly active Magasin Chat (which you can find and participate in here, btw) throughout the month earned 1 point. In May alone, the chat mentioned 400 brands a total of 899 times.

Also tallied were brands mentioned in newsletter sends coming directly from Magasin. This month, we published info on 310 brands a total of 613 times. These inclusions also carry a weight of one point each, equal to that of chat mentions.

Every link that received over 400 clicks from newsletters sent in May were broken out, awarding the brand associated with the link .01 points per click. If a link received 2,488 clicks, as with Neous, it earned 24.88 points. (For those who are curious, May saw 61 links combined drive over 65,000 clicks, only counting those that received over 400 clicks each—are you still with me?)

Lastly, as you are aware, we use affiliate linking for some of our content, and as such have access to stats including the number of orders driven through a specific URL. From this data, we’ve identified the brand behind every link that drove an order—there were 213 different brands represented in May’s data—and assigned a weight of .5 points per order. So, if a link to an Eres bikini drove 12 orders, the brand is credited with 6 points. (For clarity, it’s not apparent in the data whether those 12 orders placed were all for Eres bikinis, or even other Eres products, just that clicks that arrived to a site through that Eres link led to a certain number of orders in total.)

This is probably the strongest Brand Rank has ever been, with even more improvements, adjustments, and advances planned for June (it’ll be over for you hoes then). But as always, 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!

COS—87.71 pts
Resident people’s princess COS is back for a second term. It doesn’t need much unpacking to understand what got it here once again: dynamic wardrobe building blocks with a minimal bent, recognizable perspective to be understood as more than a dupes brand (though that’s part of it), the right price point, and the right marketing strategy/dollars to be considered mass appeal. I was on the phone with my mom earlier this week while she was browsing a COS, and she was duly impressed! She suggests they steam the clothes better, though. The brand’s new-in hits this month that ricocheted around the orders and clicks tabs included its raffia sling bag, a brooch top, and given the theme of today’s send, might I suggest these sandals?
The Row—80.09 pts
February first-placer The Row has had a strong past month with the release of its watchfully anticipated summer collection feat. my personal favorite accessory to ache for, the Alexia Tote (aspirationally, this is my Birkin, my Margaux, and my Rodeo combined). It also saw the arrival of its $890 Mara Flat, a vinyl webbed shoe modeled after the jelly sandals of our youth—though it’s sold out everywhere, there’s a scandal brewing around the fact that the uppers are already breaking (
Jess Graves
and
Courtney
’s did), which tracks with my own experience and intel on the brand’d detrimental shoe factory switch-up. Still, the solution to the Mara issue isn’t far…it’s immediately below on this list.
Ancient Greek Sandals—72.75 pts
I first saw the Ancient Greek Sandals jelly shoes at a VSJ consulting preview, where it was pretty obvious that they’d be going viral, or at least doppelganger-viral (they actually showed their jellies at market before The Row did). I’ve included AGS in this newsletter since day one because they’ve held a corner of the market—tasteful vacation shoes with a strong brand story and fair price point—that still feels underserved. But its new silhouette, the Iro, told me the brand was about to enter a new level of visibility. This ranking confirms that. What I’ll also add is that the fact they’re now working with VSJ, the agency that put Maria McManus, Savette, and Veronica De Piante on the map, is a huge deal. Between The Row, AGS, and frankly VSJ Consulting, it’s going to be a huge jelly sandal summer.
Uniqlo—54.38 pts
The Challengers cinematic universe aimed to mirror our own in its fashion (Lauren wrote/podded about this perfectly on Line Sheet), but the reverse is now happening: We’ve become voracious consumers of tennis gear. J.W.Anderson, who designed the costumes for the film and included Uniqlo among the looks, has his own collaborative line with the brand, meanwhile a Uniqlo x Roger Federer collab dropped this past month. The Japanese clothier also released a Marimekko interaction (pegged more to spring than sports), and interest in its Clare Waight Keller Uniqlo:C collection is still driving orders (it’s all on sale right now).
Maryam Nassir Zadeh—44.44 pts
Maryam, come on the newsletter please! Though the brand’s been quiet lately—I miss the shows deeply, but at this point I’d even take a lookbook…or a new collection—it’s managed to land at #5 on this list on the evergreen strength of its shoes. And it really is MNZ shoe season, as I said on my Throwing Fits ep. This month, I picked up a pair of ballerina wedges I’d never seen elsewhere and have now found to be semi-exclusive to Maison Rogue where I got them from.
Tory Burch—37.87 pts
Miss Tory was among this month’s click queens, driving a few thousand taps to its SS24 pages, new deliveries of which launched this month. The Violet T-Strap, a neotenic Mary Jane I locked eyes with on the runway, was the gangbusters hit of the lot, but since our reporting, even more newness from the show has hit site—some stunna shades I like a bunch for the not-so-serious summer months, plus this insane U-neck tunic with multi-layered sleeves and a Grecian mini-skirt it’s cleverly paired with.
Lauren Manoogian—36.36 pts
Manoogian earned its own breakout post in May for 1. sharing the same values of quality, integrity, and perspective as this newsletter, and 2. opening a chic store in Soho that I want to have a sleepover at. The winning clicks went to the double-faced knit I brought home with me, these madly attractive flats that are great for walking, and a concurrent sale on the brand at Net. FWIW, I’m still thinking about this hand-crocheted poncho that would live among my “going out tops.”
Negative Underwear—35.1 pts
I mentioned Negative in my underwear deep dive, but what’s been interesting is that my reference wasn’t altogether glowing—the Racerback Bra I kept, foreseeing it being useful for highly specific tops (which it certainly was most recently with my Attersee tank), and the Whipped Non-Wire was a pass from me. Still, the brand has continued to do numbers month over month on clicks and orders, presumably because you guys know your own boobs and what works for them best (the fabric is nice).
Bottega Veneta—34.92 pts
To some extent, Bottega doesn’t need explanation, but I have to admit its presence in the top 10 had me scratching my head. The brand hasn’t registered majorly on the shopping news cycle, except to share the arrival of a new bag style—the Lauren Mini Teen—and to mention a marginal drop in sales via luxury’s quarterly reports. What seems to be buoying Bottega’s Brand Rank status is straight up vintage leather goods orders on The RealReal. A quick sweep of inventory turns up a Tomas Maier-era Maxi-sized Hobo for under $1,500 (a rarity, especially in a good color like this), a fantastic top-handle Intrecciato crossbody for under $700, and a Marco Polo bucket bag for only $345…might just be a bull market for vintage Bottega!
Gap—33.5 pts
Like Negative, Gap’s presence on this list can be traced back to an inclusion on my underwear story, where its Breathe Bikini undies got my most effusive review (is it TMI to say I’m wearing them now?). Also got some love from being linked back from this Strategist story where Lauren Ro (hi!!) credited her discovery of Gap’s ribbed tanks to this space—they were one of my most-worn pieces of ‘23.
Issey Miyake / Pleats Please—33.2 pts
These two Issey operations have been a top source of summertime color inspiration. Between what I’ve been lovingly calling the “washing machine collection” of twisty chiffon dresses and separates in lilac and shebert orange and the Pleats Please Colors of the Month folding in salmony pink and chartreuse technical fabrics for May, I’m forgetting the strictly neutrals person I am the other half of the year.
Toteme—31.56 pts
There’s a reason I resist Toteme but still find myself pulling out more than a dozen strongly woulds from each new collection, but it’s not something worth unpacking here. The brand’s SS24 high summer and travel capsule collections landed, and not only were they predictably full of really great shapes (the wedge heel, the madras shirt, the silver ballerina), I actually bought something despite that funny feeling. It was a bikini and I’m returning it, womp. My desire for the rest of the collection remains.
Skims—28.88 pts
Is it unfair of me to say I hoped Skims would rank this month? I treated myself to its Cotton Fleece Hoodie and Cotton Fleece Joggers from the SSENSE sale (they’re like $55 each), and they’ve become my uniform for May. At the gym and around the house, yeah, but also I’ve been kind of stretching their use cases and wearing them out. I’m at the airport now cheating on my Lauren Manoogian travel fit in this kit as I type this.
Neous—28.38 pts
Neous is here because of a great pair of shoes—the Pherkas—but let me take this opp to talk about the fact that some of my favorite fashion brands come from former magazine editors. Neous from Harper’s Vanissa Antonious, Attersee from T Magazine’s Isabel Wilkinson Schor, Nereja from Vogue’s Sveta Vashenyak, Wardrobe.NYC from Australian Vogue’s Christine Centenera. There’s a sensitivity to detail that comes from years of just seeing objects, and often what makes these brands stand out is their courage to do less, to update rather than add, resulting in beautifully pared back pieces that most definitely don’t exist elsewhere, otherwise they’d be the ones to know about it.
Lemaire—28.26 pts
Lemaire is popping off at the SSENSE sale—I think its Piped loafers were one of the first deals I called out when Private Sale kicked off, having just seen and been utterly charmed by a duo of them sitting outside a very chic apartment viewing I went to last month (I IDed their owners inside but won’t tag them here lol). Lots of Croissant bags and even its Egg bag are also on sale.
Prada—26.2 pts
The (in?)famous Prada sample sale that went down in New York this month was central to, like, 40% of conversations I had with fashion people that week. Everyone was out in their new Prada, and even a Rejina Pyo skirt I was wearing was mistaken by three people as a spoil from the sale. The chat was also heated up by the event, and a bunch of “not my size but you should buy this” vintage Prada links made their way into threads. In that same spirit, this striped bra, Grecian urn top, creased dress, stretch nylon dress, and belted jacket are not my size. You should buy them.
J.Crew—25.84 pts
People seemed to like the J.Crew x Sperry collab a lot. In fact, although chat recommendations for J. Crew’s summer staples—linen, button-ups, blazers—added up to Brand Rank-worthy numbers, Sperry itself stands out as an interest driver. It being Miu Miu’s world and us just living in it, Sperry’s boat shoe bids with both J. Crew and Todd Snyder earn the brand closer watch tabs from me if not a place on this list yet. A lesson in knowing your moment!
Everlane—24.23 pts
There’s a good sale on now at Everlane, which will almost always bump a brand up a few points. But it’s the recommendation machine of the chat itself that secured this brand a spot in the top 20. White tees, straight-leg jeans, denim shorts, men’s linen pants, travel cases, and crossbody bags were among the myriad suggestions left by the Mag community.
Gramicci—23.8 pts
Louis’ latest First Up segment heralded two Gramicci products—his “most affordable” pants and a “2000s Abercrombie”-like short, both avails on SSENSE. By clicks and orders, it was beyond clear that his recs were heard.
Studio Nicholson—22.99 pts
A huge news month for Studio Nicholson between the launch of leather bags (for the first time ever) and an Asics collab that sold out on arrival. I’ve been wearing my own bag from the brand like a fiend and can only double down on the assertion that the Doublet has filled a massive gap in my bag toolkit.

Honorable mentions: Mont Bell, for being the highest-clicked link that didn’t crack the list—Louis’ shout out of this menswear-approved pouch was a forceful one; Levi’s, for being the most mentioned brand in the chat below The Row and MNZ;

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