Brands become fashionable with consumers

New York - The importance of brand has increased tenfold for consumers in the past 17 years, currently standing at 30%. When the first wave of the Brand Keys Fashion Index was conducted in 1996, only 3% of U.S. apparel buyers felt fashion brands and their associated logos were of increasing importance to consumers.



Taking the top spots this year’s Brand Keys Fashion Index is one’s Favorite Sports Team, Armani, Nike, Ralph Lauren/Polo, and Burberry. Ralph Lauren/Polo moved from last year’s number one spot among women fashion buyers to number six this year, but only one spot down on the men’s list to number four.



“Brand Keys 2013 Fashion Brand Index findings demonstrate the continuing shared space between luxury and more casual, leisure apparel brands,” said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, Inc. “Fashion brands like Armani, Burberry, and YSL all moved up from an already respectable showing in the top 15, along with leisure brands like Nike (No. 3), J. Crew (No. 6) and Levis (No. 10). Uniqlo, which made the list for the first time in 2012, is in fourteenth place among male fashion buyers this year.