Two Of 2019's Official Hottest Fashion Pieces Are Under £55

The second instalment of fashion search platform Lyst's 2019 Index has landed, ranking the coolest and most collectable brands and products of the year so far. The first quarter of the year saw Virgil Abloh's Off-White take the top spot for the second time, but Alessandro Michele's Gucci took first place this time around, claiming the title of hottest brand in the world for the fifth time in two years.

Gucci yesterday announced its hiring of diversity chief Renée Tirado after a slew of incidents led to the recalling of a £790 headpiece that resembled a turban, and a balaclava knit that was likened to blackface. "I am confident that Renée will help us create the meaningful change we want to see not only in our company but in the fashion industry," CEO and president Marco Bizzarri said of the appointment.

Daniel Lee's move to creative director of Bottega Veneta back in 2018 has seen the Italian brand undergo a real renaissance, with many hailing it as the new post-Phoebe Philo Celine. While not quite reaching Lyst's top 10, the brand has climbed a mega 26 places this quarter, with The Pouch bag claiming number five in the hottest women's products of the year, generating over 10,000 page views every month since its launch.

It bags are still very much the currency of the fashion set, with Off-White's monochrome Jitney 1.4 'Cash Inside' bag taking the top spot, while Chloé's perennially chic C Mini croc-effect shoulder bag took third position, up 400% in searches quarter on quarter. In the world of footwear, refreshingly, the only two pairs in the top 10 products come in under £55: Teva's Hurricane XLT2 and Topshop's Strippy sandals, both seen on the feet of every influencer on our Instagram feeds, came in at second and sixth place respectively. It's been a good year for the hiking sandal specialist, as searches for Teva are up 350% globally, while Carrie Bradshaw-inspired naked sandals are up 352%.

Speaking of influencers, if you thought their, ahem, influence was waning, think again: according to Lyst, 'product placement campaigns' resulted in huge success for Ralph Lauren, whose tie-dye T-shirt, seen on Gigi Hadid, Adwoa Aboah and Nina Suess, comes in at eighth place. Similarly, the Onia x WeWoreWhat Danielle cow-print swimsuit – endorsed by both Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner – ranks at number seven, with searches up 33% after they wore it.

For those who doubted the ability of celebrity crossovers from music to fashion (c'mon, you remember the scepticism over Victoria Beckham and Kanye's moves before they proved themselves as legitimate creative directors), Lyst's reporting that Rihanna and Beyoncé created the most powerful fashion moments of 2019 so far will have them eating their words. After Bey announced her partnership with adidas on Instagram, the brand's social impressions grew 61% in a mere 24 hours, while the star's own brand, Ivy Park, moved 140 positions up the Index. Rihanna, meanwhile, made major moves in the industry when she broke the news of her Fenty maison launch, generating over 5,000 media articles globally and 7 million social impressions in the first month.

Here are the hottest movers and shakers in the fashion industry in the second quarter of 2019, while you can shop the most hyped products of the last three months below:

1. Gucci
2. Off-White
3. Balenciaga
4. Valentino
5. Prada
6. Versace
7. Fendi
8. Stone Island
9. Nike
10. Saint Laurent
11. Vetements
12. Burberry
13. Dolce & Gabbana
14. Givenchy
15. Palm Angels
16. adidas
17. Moncler
18. Moschino
19. Yeezy
20. Balmain