What Does the Q2 2025 Lyst Index Tell Us About Fashion Right Now?

If you’re not familiar, here’s the quick version: the Lyst Index is a quarterly ranking of fashion’s 20 hottest brands and 10 hottest products, compiled by Lyst – “the world’s biggest and most intelligent fashion shopping platform.” They pull data from shopper behaviour (searches, views, sales), plus social mentions, engagement, and virality indicators. You can view the Q2 2025 Lyst Index here, but what good is data without a little digging? And so: what does the Q2 2025 Lyst Index tell us about fashion right now?

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The Right Marketing Still Wins – Burberry is Cool Again

With the Q2 2025 Lyst Index, Burberry finds itself back in the Top 20 hottest brands for the first time in a year. After Daniel Lee took over as Chief Creative Officer in 2022, expectations were high. His first few collections were dark, moody, and beautiful – but maybe too much too soon for Burberry’s core customer. Add to that the eye-watering price hikes and an uninspired Spring 2025 collection (was he told to tone it down?), and things weren’t looking great. I was honestly worried that would be his last collection for the brand.

But Fall 2025 was a return to form – the talent that made him the Bottega Veneta golden boy came through. Smart campaigns followed – hats off to Burberry’s marketing team – think Hermès-adjacent artistic vibes and a focus on the iconic Burberry check.

Festival season, a renewed interest in Britpop: it all came together perfectly. They even brought Agyness Deyn back on the runway. And who could forget those cheeky jewellery pieces early on that lit up the Instagram comments section? It’s been a bumpy road, but Burberry under Daniel Lee might finally be cool again.

Flip Flops are Back and That’s That

I called this in my Spring 2026 Trend Forecast – flip flops are back. And now the Q2 2025 Lyst Index backs it up: the #1 product is The Row’s Dune Sandals, which retail just under $700. For years now, slides have been the go-to summer shoe – from Nike to Zegna not a flip flop in sight – but this might finally be the shift back to the humble flip flop. Expect to see a lot more of them next summer.

Creative Director Chaos Is Shaking Up the Rankings

2025 is shaping up to be just as dramatic as 2024 for creative director changes (here’s a guide to 40 moves from last year) and that’s having an effect on the rankings: Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Versace, and Gucci all dropped a place or two (or three). One brand with a recent change that actually moved up a ranking is Balenciaga – Pierpaolo Piccioli is replacing Demna Gvasalia whose final collection for the Spanish label was Spring 2026 Haute Couture in July.

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Footwear Is Key

Six of the ten hottest products in the Q2 2025 Lyst Index are shoes. When money’s tight, shoes feel like a better investment than clothes – they last longer, they’re seasonless, sizing is simpler, and they’re a quick way to show brand loyalty. Weird shoes are having a moment – whether it’s the Vibram flats (#5) or the ballet flat/sneaker hybrid by Prada (#10). There’s Y2K10 nostalgia with Isabel Marant’s hidden wedge sneakers at #8 (the Bekett Sneakers were first released in 2011) and quiet luxury energy with Miu Miu’s suede loafers at #4. Ancient Greek Sandals hold spot #6 with their Iro ballet flats, and of course at #1 is The Row with the aforementioned flip flops.

Boho Chic May Actually Be Back

Chloé is still climbing (one spot in the Q2 2025 Lyst Index and ten spots in Q1 2025), with Chemena Kamali’s collections being hailed as ushering in a new wave of Boho Chic. I’ll be honest – I wasn’t convinced at first and reading about Boho Chic everywhere felt forced (in the same way that Baccarat Rouge 540 felt forced upon us by being everywhere on social media but seemingly nowhere irl… until eventually irl caught up), and I even posted a meme about it on Instagram back in March. It seems like the trend is finally starting to catch on, and with Alessandro Michele at Valentino it looks like the whimsical, fantastical, boho-adjacent energy might really be back.

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Simplicity Still Reigns

Whatever the trend of the moment, simplicity still sells. The Row moved up two spots in the hottest brand listing to find themselves at #6, while also holding the #1 spot in the hottest products. COS – moving down a spot to fall into #7 – is still in the top 20 hottest brands. Along with SKIMS (#15) and Birkenstock (a new entrant at #19), COS is one of only three brands that are not luxury names. Also of note: the #2 hottest product is a white tank top by SKIMS. What’s more simple and classic than that?

Ballet Flats + Sneakers = The New Vibe

The hybrid shoe is happening. The Vibram at #5, the Prada Collapse ballet sneakers at #10, and (not on the list) the Nike Air Rift which many are calling the shoe of the summer (spotted at Copenhagen Fashion Week Spring 2025 here) – the ballet sneaker is definitely having a moment. OpéraSPORT Fall 2025 showcased the Puma Speedcat Ballet (with Lindsey Wixson, no less), and adidas have launched the Samba Jane to get in on the action too.

Athletic Club Energy

Here’s one I spotted while clubbing in Berlin – sporty shorts at 10am raves. Well… what else do you wear when the party is still going strong? Adidas’ Adicolor Classics Sprinter Shorts (the #3 hottest product) have gone from something that stood out to me in a club 3+ years ago to a streetwear staple. It’s a clean, casual silhouette that works across vibes – and it fits right in with the ever-evolving sport x fashion movement.

Final Thoughts: What Does the Q2 2025 Lyst Index Tell Us About Fashion Right Now?

The Q2 2025 Lyst Index shows that footwear is dominating, simplicity is sticking, and that the vibe – more than the name – matters most right now. It also proves that creative direction matters, nostalgia sells, and a clever campaign can make all the difference. There’s a shift toward personality over polish – and that’s where brands are winning.