Alaïa is one of the few luxury labels that seems to avoid fashion's hype machine. The brand's wares are consistently A-plus, yet they're rarely accompanied by the same fervor that names like, say, Balenciaga and Miu Miu manage to stir up.
But that might be changing. For the first time in LYST's 14-year-long history, Alaïa has made it onto the global shopping platform's quarterly ranking of the hottest fashion brands and items.
LYST's Q1 2024 index, out today, crowns Alaïa fashion's 19th-hottest brand, flanked by Dolce & Gabbana (#18) and JW Anderson (#20). (Unsurprisingly, Miu Miu clinched top stop at number one.) According to the report, searches for Alaïa — founded in 1964 by Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaïa — surged 49 percent this quarter.
Interest in Alaïa seems to be driven primarily by its crystal-studded Mary Jane flats, first introduced in 2022. In fact, the shoes made it onto LYST's roundup of the hottest products of Q1, coming in at number four (behind Miu Miu's swim briefs and ahead of Carhartt's Detroit jacket).
Judging from TikTok, Alaïa's Le Teckel purse also seems to be garnering buzz — oblong "East West" bags appear to be a growing trend, bolstered not just by Alaïa, but also by Hermès, Bottega Veneta, and The Row.
Other coveted items include Miu Miu's latest New Balance collaboration, Balenciaga's Rodeo bag, and AREA's crystal-embellished jeans (which Taylor Swift wore to the 2024 Super Bowl, helping spur a 37 percent increase in searches for AREA over the past three months).
Congratulations to Alaïa for joining The LYST Index club — Cher Horowitz would be proud.
