According to the latest annual report on the clothing sector, Zara is the UK’s most prominent clothing brand in 2023.
The report, conducted by Salience Search Marketing, analysed 11 crucial performance indicators, including year-on-year visibility, search volume trends, and brand awareness, for over 300 clothing brands to reveal the names dominating the industry.
Top five prominent UK clothing brands
Through analysing the number of monthly searches for each brand and calculating an owned social score which combines the number of followers and engagement rate across major social platforms for each brand, the report unveils the most prominent brands in the sector.
| Rank | Brand | Brand searches per month | Total social media followers | Owned social score |
| 1 | Zara | 1,830,000 | 91,909,577 | 123,169 |
| 2 | Marks & Spencer | 5,000,000 | 8,442,075 | 14,562 |
| 3 | H&M | 550,000 | 87,150,885 | 132,202 |
| 4 | Next | 7,480,000 | 5,974,200 | 9,311 |
| 5 | Boohoo | 2,240,000 | 17,101,300 | 21,302 |
The findings reveal Zara is the most prominent brand in the industry. With over 91 million social media followers and a sizeable 1,830,000 brand searches per month, Zara is the market leader when it comes to brand awareness.
A meme account also surfaced for the clothing brand’s notable ‘unusual poses’, with the parody page boosting brand awareness.
Marks & Spencer is the second most prominent brand in the sector with 5,000,000 brand searches per month and over 8 million social media followers.
When it comes to organic visibility, there has been a 7% increase in overall organic growth within the industry, highlighting consumers are still keen to shop online.
Brand visibility
| Rank | Brands with the biggest growth in visibility YoY | Brands with the biggest drop in visibility YoY |
| 1 | Next | Zalando |
| 2 | John Lewis & Partners | Asos |
| 3 | Marks & Spencer | Matalan |
| 4 | Lyst | House of Fraser |
| 5 | New Look | Tu |
Sainsbury’s clothing line Tu has seen the biggest drop in visibility with a 29% decrease since June 2022. In contrast, Next sees the biggest growth in organic visibility with an increase of 26% Year on Year.
Asos, a notable online clothing brand, is struggling to stay afloat as it was reported earlier this year that the company faced a £291 million loss. The loss saw the brand raise funds to secure a turnaround.
Product trends
The latest report on clothing brands also assesses the current product trends, analysing which products are losing searches and which products are in demand.
| Rank | Search increase (%) | Search decrease (%) |
| 1 | Stussy Hoodie (169) | Wrap dress (37) |
| 2 | Womens barbour jacket (107) | Formal dresses (33) |
| 3 | Denim dress (60) | Mother of the bride outfits (33) |
| 4 | Linen dress (56) | Varsity jacket (33) |
| 5 | Linen trousers (52) | Men blazer (32) |
According to the findings, stussy hoodie has seen the biggest increase in searches within the industry, with a sizeable 169% jump. The clothing product has recently surfaced on social media, with over 200,000 views for #stussyhoodie on TikTok in the last month.
However, wrap dress has seen a drop in searches, with a 37% decrease. Interestingly, occasionwear has faced a hit, with searches for formal dresses, men blazer, and mother of the bride outfits declining.
Among industry brands, Primark has seen the most increase in searches, with the 22% boost a testament to the clothing brand’s recent join to online shopping.
Brett Janes, managing director at Salience Search Marketing, said: “This report saw Salience conduct its biggest analysis yet as over 300 clothing brands were assessed. As a whole, it has been a positive year for the industry, with a 7% increase in organic growth and a sizeable volume of searches and visibility.
“New clothing trends have emerged, with the stussy hoodie seeing an enormous 169% increase in searches and over 200 thousand views across social media in the last month. A prominent brand on the rise is Primark, as the clothing store sees a 22% increase in searches following the launch of its online shop.
“While some products continue to be in demand, others have faced a hit, namely occassionwear, as searches for clothing such as formal dresses and blazers decline.
“Understanding that trends are ever-changing and building a strong online presence across multiple channels becomes crucial in driving sales and capitalizing on the expanding market demand.”
