343: The mainstreaming of Lemaire
Brand Rank: Spring 2025 Edition, part I.
Brand Rank is a data-driven index of the most shoppable brands in the Magasin universe. See past Brand Rank reports here.
Welcome back to Brand Rank! Our last report looked at the most shoppable brands across the entirety of 2024, and today’s send picks up where we left off. We surveyed the data spanning January 1 through today(ish) and found a wealth of interesting intel. Like, if SSENSE were considered a brand, it would have a score nearly 4x that of our leading brand.
Some more Q1 shopping trivia: A mention of this ‘90s Prada suit I bought and returned from The RealReal drove more orders than any other link over the season (it did resell, but this Dolce, this Theory, and this Armani are all very good matches). These Olga Basha jeans were the most-clicked product by a few hundred, followed by this ice queen Toteme shearling dress. The new Uniqlo U collection was the most-clicked landing page. The brand landing page that inspired the most orders was Fforme on The RealReal (where the brand continues to upload its unsold Paul Helbers-era inventory). eBay was the most talked-about retailer (it earned more mentions than The Row).
Methodology
To learn more about how Brand Rank gets built, you can find a full explainer here. In short, we assess every instance of brand engagement. Our weighted system determines—out of the 5,000+ brands that ranked—which 20 are most in-demand among Magasin’s tens of thousands of subscribers.
Across the first quarter of 2025, 555 brands were mentioned in the chat 1,426 times. Magasin itself wrote about 338 brands in 811 instances. 2,220 orders over the period spanned 195 brands. And the top 159 brands were responsible for driving 433,978 clicks. That’s an average of nearly 3,000 clicks per brand.
1. Lemaire
Not quite inevitable that Lemaire would end up at the top of this list, but close. Its first time holding the top spot was cinched by a runway show in January that I attended, met by a deluge of great press—I wrote at the time that, “taken in tandem with a recent BoF piece about business booming, I think we’re seeing Lemaire’s ascent to a new tier of mainstream.” Later, when I was back in March for women’s, the brand hosted an exhibition for Carlos Peñafiel, the leather artisan behind some of its most recognizable molded bags, and co-creative director Sarah-Linh Tran launched her publishing arm Éditions Siegelbaum Tran with a monograph of Peñafiel’s work.
Over Q1, I purchased three items from Lemaire: a gray rib turtleneck that saved me during Paris Men’s, the Micro Ballerina heels I wore every day of PFW, and a 1-of-40 shell coin purse from the Peñafiel show (that I have been wearing as a necklace).
Key products: Brown Glove Boots, $907 $1,395 / Micro Ballerina 85 Leather Sandals, $790 / Brown Pearls Medium Croissant Bag, $1,930 / Shoulder Gear Bag, $1,990
2. Uniqlo
It’s peak season for Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran, who not only hold the top spot with their brand Lemaire, but are also partially to thank for Uniqlo landing at number two with their rabidly received Uniqlo U collection this month (I picked up the trench and men’s pants). Not only that, but this J.W.Anderson collab hoodie from
’s February column was among the top-clicked products overall.Key products: Sweat Oversized Full-Zip Hoodie, $49 / Cotton Lyocell Pleated Wide Pants, $49 / Oversized Single Breasted Coat, $129
3. Khaite
Earned points across all inputs, from published mentions and chats to orders and clicks. And what’s more, those data points weren’t centralized around a specific hit product but hit the vast array of categories that Khaite does well: denim, leather bags, outerwear, boots, event dressing…a testimony to the effort and attention the brand puts into clothing the modern woman in all her affairs.
The brand’s Armory show during NYFW no doubt caused a surge of interest (we keep asking why brands go to the trouble of staging runways, but here we are), and on a personal note, I’ve been wearing my small Augustina crossbody like there’s no tomorrow.
Key products: Simona Leather Shoulder Bag, $2,100 / Cate Bag in Black Haircalf, $5,600 / Vernetta Cotton-Blend Jersey Maxi Dress, $272 $680 / Arizona Leather Ankle Boots, $990
4. J.Crew
This simple cashmere crew was the single most ordered fashion item—a $148 wardrobe that swept Q1. Meanwhile, J.Crew continues its tear of apt collabs with lingerie brand Araks and the New Yorker, for its 100th anniversary.
Key products: Cashmere Classic-Fit Crewneck Sweater, $148 / The New Yorker X J.Crew T-Shirt, $45
5. COS
Having dominated 2024’s ranking, COS now settles into a comfy #5 spot. Key accessories drove engagement—these “court shoes” were the most clicked, this “kite bag” (Lemaire-inspired) drove the most orders. It finally released its much-teased Margaux bag dupe (at 95% off the original’s price), to no small fanfare.
This season, my most-worn new COS item has been this hooded quarter-zip top (an amazing and unexpected layer). And the Friends & Family sale that’s currently underway, a 25% off sitewide event with COSFRIEND, has a fair chance at sending the brand back up nearer the top of this ranking come summer.
Key products: Square-Toe Leather Court Shoes, $190 / Kite Shoulder Bag, $69 / Small Studio Bowling Bag, $250
6. Aritzia
A note: After mentioning Aritzia’s activewear a handful of times, the brand reached out to collaborate on a full send—the metrics from that partner post have been excluded from this report, however, and its standing here can be attributed entirely to organic engagement.
That said, workout apparel and lounge were still big categories this season—these nearly-sold-out barrel sweats and this exercise tank were tied as most ordered—though everyday-wear led overall. A transitional dressing edit was the most clicked landing page, and the famed (notorious?) Standout Blazer commanded heavy interest.
Key products: Cozy Fleece Boyfriend Balloon Sweatpant, $75 / LIFE Essential Camisole, $45 / Standout Blazer, $248
7. Tory Burch
The most ordered brand of the season! Driven by two pretty major sales over the period, one of which is still running full-force. The top-clicked product, this embellished wool sweater, is 30% off at checkout right now, meanwhile the Jessa Loafer, a top-ordered item, is marked down to $149 with an additional 30% off.
I bought this embroidered leather skirt from the first sale (and wore it in Paris), and it looks to be even further discounted during the current markdowns. The coat version, too, FYI!
Key products: Embellished Wool Sweater, $698 $998 / Flared Cropped Compression Pant, $428 / Jessa Loafer, $104 $328 / Embroidered Skirt, $594 $1,198
8. Toteme
Behind the most clicked product of any brand in the top 20—this shearling dress I tried on at the brand’s Madison store. Also saw some rightful fanfare over the boots that got me through NYFW, and the arrival of its briefcase-y suede tote.
Key products: Shearling-Trimmed Cady Midi Dress, $2,250 / The Slim Leather Knee-High-Boots, $791
9. The Row
The Row emerged as the most chatted-about brand—this season’s people’s princess. Its Margaux-miniaturized Peggy Clutch emerged as the hottest new item (it’s usually sold out), but the discourse pointed often to the North-South bag, the Soft Loafer, and the Gala pants (yes, still).
I admit I bought a few new Row pieces this season myself, which I’m still waiting to debut: these iconic boots from SS25, for one, and a great pair of tailored trousers, for two.
Key products: Peggy Clutch, $2,900 / N/S Park Tote, $1,850 / Soft Loafer, $1,290 / Gala Wide-Leg Crepe Pants, $1,090
10. Gap / Banana Republic
The Breathe Bikini underwear than all but landed Gap the #2 spot in the 2024 ranking is still at work buoying the brand this season. New additions, like Banana Republic’s cashmere polo and slouchy tote—currently 40% off for Friends & Family—welcomed it into 2025.
Key products: Breathe Bikini, $10 $12 / Cashmere Rugby Sweater Polo, $129 $220 / Slouchy Vida Bag, $156 $260
Part two of Brand Rank: Spring 2025 will be hitting inboxes tomorrow.
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I like the sherbet chart color scheme
Love these as always!