"Recent data from The NPD Group shows, dollar sales of luxury fashion in the US market have increased by 50 per cent in recent years, with substantial growth registered in sales of expensive apparel and footwear. Global fashion-search platform Lyst also released its latest ranking of the world's top fashion brands for Q4 2018. It analysed the online-shopping behavior of over five million consumers a month, monitoring how these shoppers search, browse, and buy fashion across 12,000 designers and stores online."

Recent data from The NPD Group shows, dollar sales of luxury fashion in the US market have increased by 50 per cent in recent years, with substantial growth registered in sales of expensive apparel and footwear. Global fashion-search platform Lyst also released its latest ranking of the world's top fashion brands for Q4 2018. It analysed the online-shopping behavior of over five million consumers a month, monitoring how these shoppers search, browse, and buy fashion across 12,000 designers and stores online. The report also takes Google search data and social media mentions and engagement statistics into account. Following brands dominated the rankings:

Burberry : Customers appreciate Burberry’s new look. Despite skepticism around its turnaround efforts, Lyst data shows Burberry's "revamped look" is resonating well with customers. The brand has rolled out limited-edition drops, which are exclusively shoppable on Instagram and Chinese messaging app WeChat. These have been selling out in a matter of hours.

Valentino: Thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow, Valentino had a buzzy start to the fourth quarter. The actress-turned-businesswoman wore a Valentino dress for her wedding in September.

Vetements: Vetements experienced a growth in its social media followers after Tilda Swinton wore a red Vetements dress to the Sitges Film Festival in Spain in October.

Stone Island: Making a reappearance in the top 10 list after a six-month hiatus, Stone Island products registered up 122 per cent growth in the most recent quarter. The brand was mentioned over 327,000 times on social media.

Versace: Versace was bought by Michael Kors, now Capri Holdings, for $2.12 billion last year. The company now plans to grow the brand’s revenue from about $808 million to $2 billion, expand its footprint from 200 to 300 stores, and ramp up its shoes and accessories assortment.

Fendi: Fendi, in October 2018, launched its Fendi Mania capsule collection, which featured a mashup of the Fendi/Fila logo, designed by an Instagram artist. The launch events for this collection, which took place in nine cities, lit up social media, Lyst wrote, creating a big spike in interest around the brand.

Moncler: Occupying fourth place in the list, Moncler’s signature luxury down jackets were included on Lyst's men's and women's hottest products lists too.

Balenciaga: The brand came into the limelight in December, after Michelle Obama wore a $4,000 pair of thigh-high silver Balenciaga boots to an event in New York to promote her new book.

Off-White: Founded in 2012, this high-end streetwear label is the brainchild of Virgil Abloh, who is also artistic director of Louis Vuitton Men's. Its Nike x Off-White The Ten series was the hottest sneaker collection of 2018, according to Lyst.

Gucci: Gucci reigned supreme at the end of 2018 after taking various top spots in the ranking throughout the previous parts of the year. Between October and December, more than six million shoppers searched for the brand’s accessories which have become the most coveted fashion products of the world.