Biggest Brands in Fashion and Why They are here to Stay!

Online sales have revolutionized the fashion market, from the runway to the sales floor. Brands that have been able to master this technological change have soared to the top, while others have failed to adapt and have gone the way of the dodo. A Forbes report from 2015 compiled a list of the top grossing brands of last year, and these brands have also demonstrated a clear mastery of the post-internet world.

Nike

Brilliance collides.

Introducing the new @Neymarjr and @Jumpman23 NJR x JORDAN Performance football collection. pic.twitter.com/cb5oI6LskY

— Nike (@Nike) June 2, 2016

Nike was among the brands featured, and their futurist mindset is evident in both their products and promotion. This brand has also benefited from riding several contemporary trends, including the popularization of more expensive menswear and the rise of “athleasure” attire. Sweatpants and running shoes have been elevated from the gym to the street which has definitely been good for Nike. Their high-tech fly-knit model of shoes has been sported by a wide variety of celebs, including hip-hop tastemaker Kanye West. These pictures were primarily propagated over the internet and social media, not traditional advertising methods. Nike has been able to leverage this change for the better, netting a huge profit in the process.

Luxury and Music
Hip-hop has a long relationship with high fashion labels, dating back to famous rappers of the nineties and earlier. Certain luxury brands have been praised in particular, including Gucci, Louie Vutton, Hermes, and others. Additionally, hip-hop has seen an incredible growth in American pop culture. This growth in popularity has undoubtedly been a positive for these luxury heavy-hitters.

Bosses pic.twitter.com/aMzmmTcPQb

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 13, 2016

Huge celebrity and music events have given rise to fashion brands working with an supplying designs and clothing. Using new avenues for fashion these high end brands can stay relevant and increase sales.

On a Budget
On the other end of the market, the needs of the 99% are now being met by increasingly profitable fast fashion companies like Zara and H&M. These companies have been praised for their ability to rapidly copy runway designs and market them to the masses. Some have criticized these brands for “ripping off” high-end looks, while others have praised them for “democratizing” fashion for those on a more reasonable budget.

Pretty pleats, please! #HM #HMFashion pic.twitter.com/gBdqc9LXxm

— H&M (@hm) May 30, 2016

Accessory Brands

Don’t forget about smaller items with huge brand names behind them. Sunglasses like Ray-Ban’s and Oakley frames are still being worn and bought thanks to online and technological branding. They use movies, celebrities, and Instagram marketing methods to get their name and product more visible. Stores like All About Eyes also make use of brand name frames by installing prescriptions in them.

Let the tide pull your courage ashore // Adventures await in #Clubround @ https://t.co/K1cU9yt731 // #ItTakesCourage pic.twitter.com/hu6ZHqYpBQ

— Ray-Ban (@ray_ban) May 5, 2016

Fast fashion companies are putting new products on the shelves and the webstores twice a week, a crazy schedule contrasted with the twice-a-year cycle of luxury labels. Both strategies have appeared successful for these brands, thanks to their savvy use of social media and online sales. The modern consumer is ordering products on their smartphone. If fashion companies are going to succeed in the future, they should drop the idea of being in a prestigious department store, and shoot for social media fame instead.