2017 Most Powerful Fashion Brands

Brand Finance, the British consulting firm, has published a rating of 50 world most valuable fashion brands, based on the sales revenue, marketing investments, brand awareness, product quality, employees' satisfaction and company reputation. Curiously enough, the rating is not led by luxury brands. A manufacturer of sports goods, Nike, is the leader again. In the past year, the brand value increased by 13% - to $32 billion - compared to 2015. The success of Nike is associated with the constant introduction of innovations in the production of sporting goods for a wide range of consumers. In 2016, the sports giant launched self-lacing sneakers, it also became the first major sports brand that launched a line of plus-size clothes and hijabs for Muslim athletes. In addition, the brand has strong marketing campaigns promoting the ideas of equality and active lifestyles, and takes part in effective collaborations.

The second place is taken by the Swedish mass-market retailer, H&M. The value of the brand is estimated at $19 billion (+ 24% compared to 2015). The company has not only increased its global network of retail stores by 442 in 2016, but also made efforts to develop its e-commerce activity in response to the growing popularity of online sales.

The Spanish mass-market brand, Zara, ranked third. Following the impressive 43% growth, the brand value is estimated at $14.4 billion. Last year, the Spanish retailer increased sales by 14.5%, and its net profit grew by 9%. The flexible business model of Zara that works in fast fashion allows the company to adapt its clothing to unpredictable circumstances, such as atypical weather.

The fastest growing brand in the rating is Marc Jacobs. Its value increased by 84% in 2016, which is partly associated with the steps taken to the company's restructurization.

The list of the top-10 most valuable fashion brands of 2017 is as follows:

  1. Nike, $32 bln
  2. H&M, $19 bln
  3. Zara, $14.4 bln
  4. Louis Vuitton, $13 bln
  5. Adidas, $10 bln
  6. Uniqlo, $9.6 bln
  7. Hermès, $8.3 bln
  8. Rolex, $7 bln
  9. Gucci, $6.8 bln
  10. Cartier, $6.7 bln
SMC Fashion