The hot and happening footwear brands this summer in popularity will continue to be Nike across all athletic categories, while others like The North Face, Patagonia, Columbia and Ugg leade in the outdoor segment, states L.E.K. Consulting’s Footwear and Apparel Brand Heat Index 2023.

This US-based apparel and footwear survey in its second year, is helping brands and retailers identify which brands will gain popularity across different generation of consumers. The survey covers almost 4,000 US consumers between 14 to 55 years, comprising mainly of Generation Z, millennials and Generation X.

Nike and Hoka lead in women’s athletic footwear

Athletic footwear in women’s segment is still dominated by last year’s top-ranked brand Nike doing well among millennials; Hoka too climbed the ranks, surpassing Nike among Gen X consumers. However, Adidas fell to fifth position from second as its rankings dropped among millennial and Gen X. The Top 10 women’s athletic footwear brands in all categories on a total score of 100 are: Nike with a score of 89; Hoka with 88; Brand Jordan 68; Adidas 66; Under Armour 61; New Balance and Nobul tied at 50; Brooks with 44 and; Puma 40. The percentage, however, changes according to three categories of Gen-Z, Millennials and Gen-X with Nike leading in Gen -Z and millennial category and Hoka in Gen-X, followed in second place by Nike.

Men’s athletic footwear has Nike and Brand Jordan on top

Nike and Brand Jordan remain the most happening brands leading overall across all segments followed by Adidas and Under Armour in the men’s athletic footwear segment. Similar to women’s category, younger consumers or Gen Z and millennials among men prefer attributes like style and appearance with Nike and Brand Jordan performing well. The older generation or Gen X prefer Hoka more than other cohorts, largely due to perceived quality and durability. The On running shoe brand, by contrast, appears to be gaining less popularity with men than among women, though it is now in the top 10 for all but Gen Z men. Overall top 10 men’s athletic footwear brands (among all brands out of 100 score, is Nike with100; Brand Jordan: 93; Adidas: 66; Under Armour: 65; Hoka: 60; On: 59; New Balance: 48; Nobull and Puma, tied at 44; and Champion: 40.

Athletic apparels sell well for both men and women

With health and wellness being in focus, athletic apparel is doing well with Nike remaining top brand for both women and men. Lululemon, Gymshark, Under Armour, Champion and Adidas are also in top 10 list.

Just as in 2022, Nike and Lululemon have taken top spots for women’s athletic clothing this year, with Lululemon closing in on Nike in terms of heat score rising to 97 from 77 last year. Along with premier brands Under Armour and Adidas, a range of smaller athleisure brands now feature among top 10 including Gymshark, Alo Yoga, Fabletics, Vuori and Alphalete, all of which saw their heat scores improve since last year.

However, Nike has a stronger position in men’s athletic clothing than it does in men’s athletic footwear and there is a larger gap between Nike and its closest competitor in the No. 2 spot. However, after Nike, the rest of the top five brands are largely the same as last year, with a focus on premium athletic trusted names of Under Armour, Adidas and Champion.

Outdoor footwear dominated by Columbia

The range of performance footwear across the top 10 brands in outdoor category is vast with low consumer enthusiasm beyond leading players, although, from a gender perspective, Columbia is one of the top brands for both women and men while the others vary.

In women’s outdoor footwear, Ugg is the hottest brand across generations due to its appealing style and Columbia and Hunter Boots are the top three spots overall but are more popular among Gen Z and millennials. In men’s outdoor footwear, Timberland and Columbia are top two brands across generations, with Columbia narrowly surpassing Timberland.

The L.E.K. Consulting’s Footwear and Apparel Brand Heat Index 2023 survey has helped many footwear and apparel brands know their standing in casual, outdoor and dressy categories across generations. It helps them plan their branding and marketing strategies better.