The 15 Most Popular Luxury Brands Online

With 33% of all luxury sales expected to occur online by 2030, the best luxury brands are competing to reach peak digital performances. They balance hyper-exclusive propositions for the wealthiest customers with more aspirational activations to capitalize on younger affluent generations.

When we unveiled Luxe Digital’s annual ranking of the most popular luxury brands online in 2018, little did I know that this global report would become a reference in the industry read by over 3.85 million people 🎉 —and counting.

$600B

global sales of personal luxury goods by 2030.

So this year, we want to honor this authoritative ranking with a dedicated name to reflect its status in the industry. We’ve decided to call it Luxe Digital Titans, a ranking of the top 15 best brands reserved for the crème de la crème of the luxury industry.

Before we dive in, a short personal note: It takes significant time and resources for us to create this report. We want to keep it completely free and accessible to you and millions of other readers like you. If you find value in it, we would greatly appreciate it if you could share it with your friends and colleagues. Thanks for your support. 🤍

For this ranking, we exclusively list brands in the luxury fashion, beauty, and “hard luxury” industries (jewelry and watches). We have a separate report for the best luxury car brands.

33%

of global luxury sales will take place online by 2030.

Every luxury brand on our list is enjoying significant customer attention. They each drive substantial online conversations across social media channels and search. They are at the center of what matters to modern affluent consumers.

In this report, you will discover:

• Who are the most talked about and sought-after luxury brands online.
• What the top brands do differently, including digital initiatives and successful new product launches.
• How the shifts in creative directors at the helms of the world’s most popular luxury brands shake up the rankings.
• And other mind-blowing facts and stats you should know 👀

How do we estimate the online popularity of a luxury brand? We take into account a combination of brand value, search share of voice, and social media conversations to create this list. You can read more details about our methodology and data sources at the end of this article.

The 15 most popular luxury brands online in 2024

The world’s most popular luxury brands champion craftsmanship, community, and cultural relevance. You can use the list below to jump straight to a particular brand.

Questions? See our methodology, definitions, and sources at the end of this article.

1. Dior

Winning the Digital d’Or 🏆

LVMH’s second-largest brand, Christian Dior, or Dior for short, tops our list of the most popular luxury brands online in 2024, comfortably extending its leadership for the second time in a row with 13.1% of the total search interest.

With LVMH owner Bernard Arnault’s eldest daughter, Delphine Arnault, as CEO, and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s creative take on women’s ready-to-wear and haute couture, Dior continues to win over affluent consumers with its perfect balance of timeless modernity and heritage references. 

Product-wise, the luxury brand benefits from the success of its iconic Dior handbags, high jewelry (created by Victoire de Castellan), and the popularity of its beauty category. 

As it turns out, global success has a smell—Dior Sauvage is once again the world’s bestselling men’s fragrance. While women’s iconic perfumes Miss Dior and J’Adore are long-time favorites and continue to evolve with successful new iterations such as Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet, J’Adore Parfum d’Eau, and Francis Kurkdjian’s latest creation, L’Or de J’adore. Dior also launched a new upmarket scent, Dioriviera, while La Collection Privée Christian Dior’s star fragrance, Gris Dior, continues to perform well.

Dior’s makeup (notably Dior Addict) and skincare (Prestige range and the new travel-friendly Dior Le Baume) are also strong revenue contributors for the French luxury brand.

🤔 Did you know? LVMH exported more designer handbags and perfumes than France did Camembert and wine in 2023 (4% of all French exports versus 3.2 % for the country’s famed agricultural sector).

— Adrienne Klasa, The Financial Times

With its large network of directly operated stores, fully controlled e-commerce distribution, new Dior spas, live streaming, and a solid social media presence, Dior connects more directly with its customers—and well beyond fashion circles. 

Dior posts 253 times per month on average across the four social channels considered for our ranking, more than double the average frequency of all the other brands on our list (120 times per month). Dior’s social media dominance is further exemplified by its ability to generate the highest absolute number of engagements, particularly on Instagram, with over 119 million shares, likes, and comments across channels compared to an average of 26 million for the other brands on our list.

Forging ties with cultures and craftsmanship across geographies—from runway spectacles in far-flung locales to museum exhibitions, from artist collaborations and celebrity partnerships (like K-pop artists Blackpink’s Jisoo, BTS’ Jimin, and actor Robert Pattinson) to new prints (looking at you, Plan de Paris)—the historic French Maison shines in visibility and more importantly in desirability.

2. Gucci

The turnaround is hard to pull off for the Master of the Metaverse.

Gucci—which accounted for half (50.5 % to be exact) of parent company Kering’s revenues in 2023—is in the middle of a tougher-than-expected turnaround.

After dominating the top of our ranking for several years, Gucci lost its place to Dior last year and has yet to regain it. The Italian fashion house suffered from the most significant year-over-year decline in its share of online search interest, dropping from 13.8% in 2023 to 10.7% in 2024. While still very respectable, it’s now just 0.1 percentage point above Chanel. This is the closest these two brands have ever been and the lowest Gucci has ever been after dominating Luxe Digital Titans’ ranking, with 17.52% of search interest in 2020.

Traffic to Gucci’s website has dropped -9.28% year-over-year, and the luxury brand’s social media audience only grew by 1.75% over the same period.

Gucci targets younger, fashion-forward, aspirational shoppers who are more vulnerable to economic pressures at the expense of older, upmarket customers. The brand’s strategy was hugely successful until it wasn’t.

With the appointment of Sabato De Sarno as Gucci’s creative director in 2023, a shift towards a more minimalist aesthetic is unfolding, contrasting with Alessandro Michele’s maximalist vision. Gucci Ancora, De Sarno’s debut collection, successfully hit the stores in February 2024, sparking intrigue about its potential to appeal to higher-end luxury clientele and revive the fortunes of Kering’s star brand.

Gucci’s ventures into the Metaverse, its efforts to bring its heritage to Web3 through virtual fashion shows and digital exhibitions (like Gucci Cosmos Land), and its exploration of generative AI art through online auctions (collaborations with Christie’s 3.0) are testament to the brand’s unwavering commitment to digital innovation, inspiring a sense of anticipation for its future.

The Florentine fashion house continues optimizing its store network (538 directly operated stores as of December 31, 2023) to support its brand elevation strategy, increase its visibility in the best locations, and give the wealthiest shoppers a more exclusive experience.

Gucci also continues to embrace a more sustainable supply chain, notably with the launch of its Circular Hub, the first hub for circular luxury in Italy (February 2023), and its first vegan handbag, the Horsebit 1955 in the House’s Demetra fabric (November 2023). 

3. Chanel

The Grande Dame of social media is the eternal third wheel.

One of the last digital holdouts in luxury fashion, Chanel is famous for refusing to sell its clothes and handbags online. In February 2024, Chanel won a six-year lawsuit against NYC reseller What Goes Around Comes Around—talk about being brand protective.

As the famous brand behind the “little black dress” and Chanel No. 5 perfume, the historic luxury French Maison shines as the world’s largest social luxury brand, boasting 99.1 million social media followers—the largest cross-channel following of any brand on this list.

Chanel, privately owned by billionaire brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, continues its brand elevation and exclusivity drive by rolling out appointment-only Salons Privés in Asia, Europe, and the US and more dedicated spaces for its Chanel & Moi sustainability program, which offers after-sales services, including restoration and repair.

The 2024 high-profile advertising campaign featuring Brad Pitt and Penélope Cruz confirms a stronger focus on Chanel’s most iconic handbags—particularly its Classic Flap Bag (which has seen regular price increases over the years and waiting lists for certain styles).

Chanel is also tapping into the booming jewelry category, notably launching its first store in the United States dedicated solely to watches and fine jewelry on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

Following Chanel’s recent executive departures, we’re curious to see how the legacy luxury brand addresses changing market dynamics.

4. Hermès

The French icon defies the luxury slowdown.

Immediately below the podium, we find French fashion and leather goods house Hermès, which is still mostly owned by the founder’s descendants. The brand recorded $14.3 billion in revenue in 2023 (up 21% at constant exchange rates from 2022) and an above-expectations surge (up 17%) in 2024 first-quarter sales, underlining robust demand for ultra-luxury and an upturn in Asia’s demand for the brand. Notable milestones include new store openings in China, pointing to the luxury brand’s strategic retail growth in the country.

The desirability of Hermès’ timeless classic handbags—often regarded as investment pieces with a robust resale value that can surpass the initial retail price—remains unwavering. Despite successive price increases, wealthy shoppers continue to covet the notoriously hard-to-acquire Birkins (which recently became the subject of an antitrust lawsuit) and Kellys.

The passing of style icon Jane Birkin in July 2023 further fueled interest in the Birkin. And with Hermès’ most exclusive bag turning 40 and fabulous this year, its desirability is set to remain as strong as ever.

Since 1837, the storied leather house Hermès has remained faithful to its artisan model. In 2023, Hermès inaugurated two sustainable leather goods workshops (notably awarded France’s highest environmental labeling—the E4C2), with more in the pipeline to reinforce production capacities.

If limited editions of Rouge Hermès are on everyone’s lips, all eyes are turning to Hermès Le Regard, the brand’s new makeup collection. Hermès also benefits from the success of its fragrances: Terre d’Hermès, the Jardins collection, and Twilly d’Hermès.

It is also worth mentioning that Hermès Horloger, the brand’s watch division, clocked in a growth of 23% YoY at constant rates in 2023. The launch of the new Cut model, Hermès’ first mechanical women’s watch line, is another tick in the right direction.

Surprisingly, Hermès’ presence on social media remains very modest. With just 18.2 million social media followers, the luxury brand is second to last on our 2024 ranking by audience. Hermès is also the brand that’s the least active on social media amongst its peers, with just 381 posts per year on average across all channels. 

Hermès surprised us all and sparked discussions with its Shanghai Reprised Men’s Spring 2024 Runway Show (its first major post-pandemic event in China). The show featured a diverse cast of local talents, from Olympic athlete Wu Dajing to Michelin-starred chef Jason Liu.

5. Louis Vuitton

Art and affluence on the A-list.

LVMH’s flagship brand continues to anchor its growth in the reinvention of iconic product lines, its dialogue with art and artists (with notable exhibitions like LV Dream and La Malle Courrier), and headline-grabbing destination shows.

The French luxury brand attracts more monthly visits to its website (15.6 million) than any other brand on our list. Louis Vuitton also added the highest number of new followers (7 million). Yet, Louis Vuitton falls down one spot on our ranking, losing 1.3 percentage points in the share of online search interest year over year.

The appointment of multi-talented American artist Pharrell Williams as Creative Director of Menswear has sparked excitement and anticipation. This fusion of luxury fashion and entertainment promises social sparkles and a generous sprinkle of A-listers.

Pharrell’s first fashion show garnered over 1.1 billion views across social platforms, and his Millionaire Speedy bag went viral upon launch in November 2023. The bag’s $1,000,000 price tag and sold-on-invitation-only exclusivity most certainly helped. 

Meanwhile, the continued exceptional creative momentum of Nicolas Ghesquière, whose contract was renewed for a further five years, is elevating the desirability of LV’s womenswear collections. 

In a bold move, Louis Vuitton ventured into the Metaverse with the viral launch in June 2023 of its $42,000 phygital trunk, combining a physical product and a digital collectible. The innovative approach continues with phygital drops exclusively for owners of a VIA Treasure Trunk NFT. (Sorry, Pharell’s Phygital $8,500 LV Varsity Jacket from the FW24 collection isn’t for everyone—and I am not even talking about the price 😅.)

In January 2024, the French Maison diversified further with the launch of Les Gastons Vuitton, the brand’s first fine jewelry collection for men.

6. Rolex

The Crown of hard luxury.

How predictable: In 2024, Rolex remains the most sought-after luxury watch brand online, outperforming all other brands in the ‘hard luxury’ category.

As a private, technically non-profit company, Rolex achieved a significant milestone in 2023, generating an estimated* record sales revenue of 10.1 billion CHF ($11.5 billion USD), well above all the other luxury watch brands. To put that number in perspective, that’s more than its top five competitors—Cartier, Omega, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Richard Mille—combined.

*Swiss watch companies do not directly provide actual sales numbers. Nevertheless, that’s pretty impressive for a brand that sells just one product – watches.

Rolex alone—excluding subsidiary Tudor— commands nearly a third of the Swiss watch market (30.3%, to be precise, for those who keep a record).

Of particular interest this year is the efforts by the Swiss luxury watch brand to grow its social media presence. Rolex grew its social channels by 12.9% year over year, topping our ranking. Unfortunately, this follower growth doesn’t seem to affect engagement with the brand on social platforms positively. Rolex is indeed towards the bottom of our ranking in terms of social engagement rate, with just 3.8%. The brand is also one of the least active in terms of average posts per year, with just 816 posts across all channels.

The sustained appeal of Rolex’s core collections, the growing availability of its steel watches, and the constantly increasing resale value of vintage Rolex watches are fueling interest in the Geneva-based brand and generating online conversations. Luxury watches—over 3,000 Swiss francs ($3,317 USD)—generated 92% of the overall sector’s growth, as The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported. 

Product-wise, after a year of exotic watches by Rolex standards, the Crown of Swiss luxury watches returns to its classic design language for Watches and Wonders 2024, with subtle updates to its popular models.

Especially noteworthy for a brand that does not offer e-commerce options, Rolex continues to roll out its Certified Pre-Owned program across Europe and the United States after an initial launch in Switzerland in November 2022. 

7. Prada

The upward trajectory continues.

Following a strategic shift upmarket and building on outstanding creative momentum led by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, Prada continues to demonstrate growing brand desirability. Retail sales grew 12.1% in 2023, while the performance for the first quarter of 2024 is above market (+7% yoy).

Prada’s active presence on social media, with an impressive 2,257 posts over the past 12 months, has positioned it as the third most active brand on our list, surpassing Gucci and trailing only Dior and Louis Vuitton. This level of engagement is a clear indicator of Prada’s relevance and appeal.

Prada’s success is underscored by its unique and well-balanced product category mix. 

Prada continues to enrich the leather goods category with novelties like the new Buckle Bag, first introduced for SS24, and the ongoing reinterpretation of Prada’s iconic bags. 

Prada’s commitment to sustainability is not a passing trend but a deeply ingrained core value. The launch of the 2024 Re-Nylon collection, crafted from upcycled plastic waste and featuring renowned British actors-turned-activists Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch, is a powerful testament to this commitment.

Exclusive collaborations were also well-received, like the “Adidas Football for Prada” collection and the groundbreaking partnership with Axiom Space on NASA’s lunar spacesuits for the Artemis III mission. 

Given the success of Prada’s fragrance line (Prada Paradoxe perfume quickly took social media by scented storm when it launched in 2022), it is not surprising that Prada—via its licensing partnership with L’Oréal Luxe—added two new (inclusive and refillable) beauty categories, namely Prada Skin (skincare) and Prada Color (makeup) this year. 

Successful live events traveling across global destinations (including Prada Extends and Prada Mode), the opening of the Pradasphere II exhibition in Shanghai, and Prada Caffè pop-ups have not only been popular among fashion enthusiasts but have also significantly contributed to boosting brand visibility and interest globally. 

The allure of Prada is further enhanced by its buzzy front rows, star-studded advertising campaigns, and viral items. (I can still picture Sofia Richie Grainge’s poplin Prada shirt dress and White Raffia Tote Bag on that romantic Maldives honeymoon).

8. Tiffany & Co.

Steadying the (shining) ship.

Since its acquisition by LVMH in 2021 (the largest luxury acquisition to date), Tiffany & Co. is renewing its luster. 

Following Tiffany & Co.’s high-profile reopening of The Landmark, its iconic flagship on NYC’s Fifth Avenue, in the Spring of 2023, the LVMH-owned luxury jewelry brand continues to modernize its retail footprint, rolling out its aesthetic retail concept at prominent locations, including the Dubai Mall, Tokyo Omotesando, and Palo Alto, California.

The company’s upgrade extended to its historic homewares division with the appointment of its first-ever artistic director of Tiffany Home in March 2023.

Tiffany continues to endear a broad consumer base, both generationally and geographically, with celebrity campaigns and star-studded events, headline-grabbing rare gemstone acquisitions (Tiffany & Co. announced in July 2023 that it had acquired a rare Muzo Emerald of over 10 carats), and limited-edition collaborations (like Rimowa x Tiffany diamond-inspired luggage collection or the T1 bracelet and bust with contemporary artist Daniel Arsham).

The brand’s robust omnichannel strategy, focus on high-end jewelry, and commitment to sustainability all support its upmarket momentum.

Tiffany & Co. is particularly good at creating shareable content for social media. The luxury jewelry brand is the third most viral brand on our list, after Louis Vuitton and Dior, with nearly 858,000 posts reshared by its followers.

9. Ralph Lauren

What a comeback!

In a remarkable resurgence, Ralph Lauren is once again embodying the American dream, this time with a bit of star power from Taylor Swift. Who could forget that TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year was dressed in Ralph Lauren?

The American fashion house is welcomed back on our list as the fastest-rising luxury brand of 2024, rocketing seven spots up the charts and landing at #9.

Traffic to Ralph Lauren’s website is also solid, placing the brand fourth on our list, just after Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Chanel, thus punching much higher than its share of search interest would suggest.

By staying true to its “classic preppy roots, but adopting a more modern and agile retail approach” (read: strategic focus on its brand website and physical stores), Ralph Lauren’s brand elevation seems to be paying off.

The brand’s naturally low-key yet high-end, iconic products continue to perform well. Known for its timeless, understated fashion (from Oxford shirts to mesh polos and cashmere sweaters), Ralph Lauren capitalizes on the growing quiet luxury and old money trend.

The brand also continues to explore the opportunities of Web3 and phygical retail environments. In August 2023, Ralph Lauren unveiled the ‘888 House’—its first virtual store created using Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) technology—to coincide with the launch of its new handbag collection, the RL 888. The brand also ventured into the Metaverse by launching a new branded in-game experience (“Race to Greatness,” a digital island within the virtual world of the popular online video game Fortnite) and phygital boot drop, showing that it is not afraid to experiment with new technologies and retail formats.

Ralph Lauren’s success in China is a local triumph and a testament to its global appeal. The brand’s highly successful Singles’ Day activations and collaboration with Chinese KOL Mr. Bags are clear indicators of its strong foothold in the Chinese market and its ability to resonate with consumers worldwide.

The recent partnership (effective April 2024) with Haworth—the parent company of BoConcept, Cappellini, and more—will expand Ralph Lauren Home’s production and distribution.

And a quick check on #dressinglikeapolobear hashtag on TikTok will confirm that Ralph Lauren is indeed riding the growth wave. 

10. Versace

Reaching for the stars isn’t enough.

Versace, a symbol of Italian elegance and extravagance, leverages its star power (including notable instances of celebrity red-carpet dressing moments), a resurgence in archival interest (in line with the nostalgia trend), and Chief Creative Officer Donatella’s enduring icon status to expand its reach and foster online engagement.

Versace’s social media presence may not be as prolific as its peers (Versace ranks 11th in average posts per year, with 975 posts over the past 12 months across all its social media channels). Still, the brand is very good at driving engagement, with each post garnering over 30,000 likes, comments, and reshares on average.

The brand’s exclusive celebrity endorsements and collaborations contribute to Versace’s enduring appeal amongst extended affluent fanbases.

Beyoncé sang praises to the brand, wearing vintage Versace at the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2024. The launch of La Vacanza (meaning ‘holiday’ in Italian), a collaborative collection co-designed by Donatella Versace and Grammy award-winning singer and long-time muse for Versace Dua Lipa in May 2023, was music to our ears. 

The brand also looked to the East for more influences, naming K-Pop stars Hyunjin and Ningning, and Chinese actress Rosy Zhao as global ambassadors of Versace.

Taking branded experiences to the next level, Versace’s foray into the hospitality industry in Asia with the unveiling of Palazzo Versace Macau (its second fashion-branded hotel following Palazzo Versace Dubai) in March 2024 marks a significant milestone in the brand’s diversification strategy. This move not only expands the brand’s portfolio but also provides a unique opportunity to immerse people in the opulent Italian world of Versace.

In contrast with many luxury brands whispering quiet luxury, Versace boldly makes a statement. But as it appears, the brand knows how to do that while remaining timeless. Versace launched Icons, a curated collection of classic wardrobe essentials to build a capsule wardrobe. Following his celebrated Oscar win, ‘Oppenheimer’ actor Cillian Murphy was announced as Versace’s new male Icon.

Big picture: Founded by Gianni Versace in 1978, the brand is currently owned by the American group Capri Holdings. However, with a potential luxury merger with Tapestry (which owns Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman), it will be interesting to see how the expanded American luxury group intends to compete with the European industry giants.

11. Armani

Bringing its A-game.

Armani moves up the rankings to #11, rising four positions.

Interestingly, the Italian fashion house seems to have prioritized driving organic traffic growth to its website over social media this year. Armani saw the highest website traffic growth in 2024, adding 18% more visitors to its brand website. However, the Italian house only grew its social media audience by 0.9% this year. It also ranks last on our list for engagement rate.

Nevertheless, Giorgio Armani was a clear winner at the 2024 award shows, dressing everyone from Zendaya to Martin Scorsese, Selena Gomez, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The Crown’s actress Elizabeth Debicki—who won the 2024 SAG Award in an Armani Privé dress—also did not go unnoticed. Celebrity red-carpet moments generate golden numbers in media value and revenue. 

Known for its timeless silhouettes, artisanal craft, and neutral tones, Armani remains on trend with its quintessential quiet luxury vibes. 

Released in May 2023, Giorgio Armani’s autobiography Per Amore—Italian for ‘with love’—gives insights into the life and philosophies of the nearly 90-year-old fashion icon. 

The new Armani branded project on the Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, has been one of the most anticipated off-plan residential launches.

In February 2024, Armani is flying high with a new partnership with Etihad, rolling out luxury amenities and fashionable loungewear for the UAE airlines’ Business and First-Class guests. 

Giorgio Armani has kept his eponymous high-end Italian House independent since its foundation in 1975.

12. Cartier

Finding the sparkle again.

After a brief dip in 2023, the Richemont-owned jeweler Cartier has returned triumphantly, shining again among the top 15 Luxe Digital Titans.

Founded in 1847 in Paris, Cartier is the second fastest-growing brand on our ranking this year, moving up six places. While the brand isn’t particularly important on social media (it ranks 13th in terms of cross-channel followers and 14th in number of posts per year), it enjoys a relatively high social media audience growth this year at 8%, on par with Hermès.

The recent releases unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2024 have sparked a wave of excitement in the online community. While Cartier’s classic watches continue to captivate, new releases have everyone buzzing. 

The legacy brand is constantly and consistently pioneering innovation in watches, from rejuvenating its iconic line with notably a new Santos complication (Santos de Cartier Dual Time) to launching miniature watches (Cartier Tank Mini is coming September 2024) and a watch that tells time backward (Cartier Santos Dumont). 

The brand also continues to explore the fusion of the watch and jewelry worlds with the launch of the Reflection de Cartier watch collection (an ultra-high-end watch-bangle hybrid) and a trio of Animal Jewelry Watches (in the form of tiger, zebra, and crocodile releases).

In jewelry, the brand’s Iconic collections (like the Trinity ring or the Love and Juste un Clou bracelets) continue to significantly contribute to Cartier’s dazzling allure. And with the Trinity design celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024, Cartier is launching new editions of the classic. 

From its pop-up exhibition ‘Into The Wild: Panthère de Cartier’ in Guangzhou to its immersive exhibition ‘Cartier, Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design’ at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Cartier showcases its brand stories with cultural relevance and engagement, demonstrating its adaptability and understanding of its global audience.

Cartier’s commitment to championing women’s empowerment through its Cartier Women’s Initiative is another example of its values. 

Chanel-wise, Cartier is expanding its global travel retail network with new airport boutiques, including Changi Airport, Singapore. 

13. Valentino

Is the future brighter than PP Pink?

Valentino’s remarkable resurgence, catapulting it to an impressive number 13 on our list, is a testament to the brand’s strategic turnaround.

Founded in Rome in 1960 by Valentino Garavani, the Roman brand has never been more youthful. Valentino’s rejuvenation is not only a strategic shift but also a cultural transformation, as evidenced by its diverse and inclusive partnerships, working with the likes of American supermodel Kaia Gerber, South Korean actress Son Ye-jin, Mandarin pop artist Jolin Tsa (the brand’s first Chinese global ambassador), and K-pop idol SUGA.

Valentino’s momentum is driven by solid demand for accessories, followed by ready-to-wear. Perfumes and beauty, managed under license by L’Oréal, are also performing well.

Valentino’s sales strategy has undergone a significant transformation, with its direct network (comprising directly managed boutiques and e-commerce) now accounting for a substantial 66% of its total sales. This shift is exemplified by the opening and reopening of boutiques in key locations and the brand’s decision to take over the management of its e-commerce site, previously handled by Yoox-Net-A-Porter (until 2022). These changes have paved the way for the brand’s accelerated omnichannel integration.

After a successful 25-year tenure, the unexpected departure of creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli from the Roman House in March 2024 sent shockwaves through the industry. Previously known for its signature Valentino Red, the Roman house has expanded its vibrant vocabulary under creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, with color a hallmark of his aesthetic. (We will never forget PP Pink—a hot-pink hue the Pantone Colour Institute developed exclusively for Valentino.) 

Valentino hired former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele as the new creative director. The announcement has sparked spikes in customer interest for the Roman house. It remains to be seen whether this surge in customer enthusiasm will be sustained and how it will shape Valentino’s popularity.

The Italian luxury brand punches above its weight with the amount of social media content it posted over the past 12 months, with an average of 1,900 posts, placing it sixth on the ranking by post.

Space to watch: Valentino, owned by Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, sold a 30% stake to the French luxury group Kering in July 2023 for €1.7 billion. And Kering has an option to acquire 100% of Valentino’s share capital by 2028.

14. Burberry

Raining on the British brand’s parade.

The online performance of British heritage brand Burberry—which hit the refresh button with the appointment of new creative director Daniel Lee (who made his name with accessories at Bottega Veneta) in October 2022—is very much like the UK weather.

Undecided. 

Burberry has moved in and out of our ranking over the past few years.

Burberry’s social media strategy reflects the brand’s current state. Despite having the fifth largest cross-channel social media audience with 46 million followers, Burberry’s social media activity was relatively low this year. Notably it is the only luxury brand on our list that is losing social media followers in 2024.

After two years of renovations, Burberry reopened its 22,000-square-metre flagship on New Bond Street in July 2023. 

With a refocus on modern British luxury, Britain’s most prominent heritage high fashion brand has built positive momentum with the unveiling in September 2023 of Daniel Lee’s first collection in stores, a revamped e-commerce site, and bold marketing activations during London Fashion Week—including renaming Bond Street tube station to “Burberry Street.” 

In February 2024, Burberry took over London’s legendary department store Harrods (which is celebrating its 175th anniversary) by illuminating it in its signature ‘knight blue’ hue, as well as immersive experiences and an exclusive capsule collection. 

The century-old inventor of the iconic gabardine trench coat continues to focus on classic Burberry icons, particularly its heritage outerwear and leather goods (the Burberry Frances handbags and vintage Burberry Check lines are performing well).

While drawing inspiration from the house’s archives, Burberry’s new creative direction brings a breath of fresh air and a more vibrant and contemporary approach to the brand’s storied legacy. This is evident in the introduction of new patterns, palettes, and proportions that had yet to be seen in the brand’s century-long history. In line with a more daring and brighter vision for Burberry, Lee unveiled its first key bag—the Knight Bag, named after one of the oldest house codes, the Equestrian Knight Design (dating 1901).

The British fashion house also launched its Burberry Classics in March 2024, a sustainable collection that confirms its signature check is as iconic as ever. 

With global ambassadors ranging from Chinese actress Tang Wei to Saltburn’s Irish Star Barry Keoghan, Burberry is committed to celebrating diverse talents and narratives. 

15. Balenciaga

Let’s just say, ‘It’s different.’

After months of image rebuilding and influential celebrity endorsements, Balenciaga has left (negative) controversies behind.

Still polarizing? Surely. Sparking widespread conversations and chatter on social media? Most certainly.

Balenciaga’s foray into Skiwear was marked by a unique campaign shot, with Demna’s signature irony, on a sunny beach. The invitation for the Balenciaga FW24 show in Paris (which featured an AI-generated set) was a faux eBay receipt and gifts curated by Demna from eBay.

The not-so-long-ago ‘canceled’ brand is at the bottom of our ranking across nearly every category, except for social media engagement, for which it ranks fourth, just behind Louis Vuitton, with a 6.4% engagement rate.

California has recently become a focus for Balenciaga’s retail expansion, doubling its presence on Rodeo Drive. Cardi B made her runway debut in a bold faux-fur coat at Balenciaga’s fall 2024 ready-to-wear fashion show in Los Angeles and made quite some noise online. While Kim Kardashian officially becoming a Balenciaga Ambassador in January 2024 certainly helps drive brand heat.

But beyond celebrity collaborations, Balenciaga has that inherent ability to turn just about anything into viral fashion gold. 

Under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia, the iconic Spanish brand Balenciaga continues to captivate with a tongue-in-cheek approach to fashion designs and meme-ability—from the viral Balenciaga Towel Skirt to a clutch shaped like a stiletto high heel worn, a bracelet that resembled a cellotape, or a collaboration capsule collection with upscale grocer Erewhon. 

The launch of the ‘It’s Different’ campaign spotlights some of Balenciaga’s current hero products. Balenciaga is doubling down on the handbag category by successfully launching novelties like the Rodeo handbag line and revisiting archives to appeal to a broader spectrum of fashion enthusiasts of all ages. 

In April 2024, Balenciaga reintroduced its iconic Le City bag, first launched in 2001, with a star-studded campaign. The anticipation it created on social platforms before the official launch is a testament to the brand’s ability to ride the nostalgia wave.

The fashion house’s designer sneakers continue to be a topic of conversation and a big online popularity factor. Balenciaga’s Triple S sneaker is making a resurgence in denim, while the limited Cargo sneakers (only 1,000 units available) continue the chunky sneaker legacy. 

Just when we thought Balenciaga’s statement footwear couldn’t get more dramatic, the brand continues to prove otherwise. Balenciaga launched everything from Biker Pantashoes to a larger-than-life 10XL sneaker and a Reptile sneaker that is as wild as it gets. Balenciaga, so it seems, has found its footing again. 

Best luxury brands of 2024: Final thoughts

It’s fascinating to see what the best luxury brands online do to remain top of mind amongst affluent consumers. 

The luxury industry’s resilience has been consistently demonstrated over the past few years. But the once stellar growth of luxury is at a crossroads—and the path ahead is uneven.

A pattern seems to emerge: Higher-end luxury brands surge ahead while those too reliant on fashion-forward, entry-level luxuries struggle.

With a broad customer base spanning geographies (the US, Europe, and Asia) and generations (Generation Y, Millennials, and Gen X in all their multigenerational complexities), luxury brands are innovating far and wide to expand their client bases while cultivating loyal brand lovers.

New ambassadorship announcements by the world’s most popular luxury brands highlight the prominence of the East (China and K-pop culture in particular). 

The increasing value placed on authenticity (crowned Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2023) and brand essence by affluent consumers is a reassuring trend for the luxury industry, signaling a shift towards more meaningful consumer-brand relationships.

And while red carpet moments and Fashion Weeks still get much attention, other entertainment events (like Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras) and brand collaborations (or what I’ve come to call ‘cool-laborations’) are also driving digital engagement for luxury brands. And with the Paris 2024 Olympics, we can only expect more cross-industry partnerships coming into play.

In short, craftsmanship, cultural credibility, and community drive brand desirability and shape the online popularity of the world’s best luxury brands. 

To summarize, here’s the list of the best luxury brands online:

1. Dior (no change)
2. Gucci (no change)
3. Chanel (no change)
4. Hermes (+1)
5. Louis Vuitton (-1)
6. Rolex (no change)
7. Prada (no change)
8. Tiffany (no change)
9. Ralph Lauren (+7)
10. Versace (-1)
11. Armani (+4)
12. Cartier (+6)
13. Valentino (+4)
14. Burberry (-4)
15. Balenciaga (-4)

It’s always mind-blowing when so many leaders like you read what I write (I don’t take that for granted).

If you’ve found the article insightful, I would love to know, and of course, I would appreciate any share around the web. Please leave a like and/or comment on the announcements for this report on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook. 

Methodology and sources: How we rank the best luxury brands of the year

Luxe Digital Titans: Personal luxury goods edition aims to provide a current and insightful analysis of the most popular luxury brands online. Our annual ranking offers a clear picture of how each brand is performing online and can help business leaders predict future growth.

With over a decade of experience in luxury and even more in online marketing, our team has a deep understanding of what drives a brand’s popularity among affluent consumers. We know how crucial a thoughtful digital marketing strategy is to business growth.

To create this ranking, we start our analysis using a list from Deloitte of the world’s top 100 luxury goods companies based on consolidated sales. Deloitte’s report also includes the group’s perspectives on key future trends that will shape the luxury industry and is worth reading for anyone interested in the industry.

We then extract luxury companies from Forbes’ top 100 most valuable brands list. Forbes’ list is arguably more open to interpretation as it takes into account several data points that are not necessarily consistently available for all brands. However, when combined with the actual sales figures from Deloitte’s reports, we are confident that we can get a solid starting point.

Next, we use Google Trends to measure actual search interest for each luxury brand online. We use the brand with the highest single-point search interest on the list as the benchmark against which to measure all the other brands on our list. This gives us a unified comparison point against which to stack every other brand.

After observing a significant concentration of the share of search interest among the top 15 luxury brands on our list, we summed up their individual average search interest for the year to get a baseline of the total search interest for the top 15 brands. We then calculate a ratio for each brand against that total to get their share of the total search interest.

For each of the remaining top 15 brands, we then used a combination of SimilarWeb and RivalIQ data to measure their web traffic and social media audience and engagement, respectively. This data does not directly weigh on our ranking but helps give more context to each brand’s performance throughout the year.

Definitions

Our summary table at the top of this article refers to the following terms:

1. Share of search interest is calculated based on worldwide Google Trends data. We measure the absolute search interest for each of the top luxury brands during the period and calculate how much attention they receive compared to the other brands in our ranking as a percentage of the total search interest for luxury brands.
2. Website traffic is estimated based on SimilarWeb data using the primary brand domain.
3. Social media audience is calculated based on Rival IQ reports for each brand as of May 2024. It represents the sum of Facebook Fans, Instagram Followers, Twitter (X) Followers, and YouTube Subscribers.
4. Social media engagement rate is calculated based on Rival IQ reports for each brand from May 2023 to May 2024. It represents the monthly average of the annual total number of engagement actions across all tracked social channels, combining comments, likes, and shares, divided by the total audience.

Sources

You’ll find below all the sources we used to create our ranking:

• LVMH accounts for bigger share of French exports than agricultural sector, by Adrienne Klasa, The Financial Times, April 18, 2024.
• Long Live Luxury: Converge to Expand through Turbulence, by Claudia D’Arpizio, Federica Levato, Andrea Steiner, and Joëlle de Montgolfier, Bain & Company, January 18, 2024.
• Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2023, by Giovanni Faccioli, Ida Palombella, and Karla Martin, Deloitte, 2023.
• LVMH Financial Documents Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023, LVMH, 2024.
• LVMH 2023 Annual Results, LVMH, January 25, 2024
• Hermès 2023 Full Year Results, Hermès, 2024.
• The State of Fashion 2024, by Imran Amed, Achim Berg, Gemma D’Auria, Anita Balchandani, Felix Rölkens, David Barrelet, Joëlle Grunberg, Janet Kersnar, Asina de Branche, Hannah Crump, Ewa Starzyńska, and Marc Bain, Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 2024.
• Global State of Luxury 2024, by Nora Kleinewillinghoefer, Kearney, May 2024.
• Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult publish Swiss watch industry’s top 50 companies for 2023, by Oliver R Müller, Revolution Watch, February 28, 2024.
• Swiss watch exports in 2023, Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, January 30, 2024.
• Kering 2023 Full Year Results, Kering, 2024.
• Kering 2023 Annual Results Presentation, Kering, February 8, 2024.
• Kering 2023 Annual Results, Kering, February 8, 2024.
• Kering 2023 Financial Document, Kering, 2024.
• Hermès Activity Report 2023, Hermès, 2024.
• Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2024: The Top 200, by Rob LaFranco, Grace Chung and Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes, April 2, 2024.
• What’s working for the top luxury brands on social media, by Haley Harrison, RivalIQ, February 15, 2024.
• Richemont 2023 interim results, Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., 2024.
• Richemont Ad Hoc Announcement FY24 interim results, Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., 2024.
• Prada Group 2023 Annual Report, Prada Group, January 2024.
• Burberry Interim Results Q4 2023, November 16, 2023.
• Kering 2024 First Quarter Revenue, Kering, April 23, 2024.
• Prada Group Reports Positive Start To The Year With Retail Sales Up 18% YoY, Prada Group, April 24, 2024.