Apple tops most valuable brands list, Vuitton hits top 10, Nike key for apparel

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 15, 2022

Apple has regained its status as the world’s most valuable brand, according to a new ranking that sees it on track to become the first trillion-dollar label. It was hailed for its “for its high degree of differentiation and continued diversification”. But the list also shows the strength of luxury, fashion and sport labels with Louis Vuitton and Nike standing out.

The latest Kantar BrandZ Most valuable Global Brands report shows Apple having a ‘brand value’ of $947.1 billion.

In second place is Google, while e-tail giant Amazon is third. That's something of a comedown for the company as it was in top spot a year ago. However, its fall is perhaps no surprise given that the online retail wave it was riding during the pandemic and the immediate post-pandemic period has subsided somewhat.

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Nonetheless, Amazon’s brand value has still managed to increase, rising 3% to $683.8 billion.

Also in the top 10 and relevant to the fashion sector are China's Tencent at number five, although its brand value is down by 11%. Then there's Facebook at number eight with an 18% decline in its brand value and falling two places. Alibaba is next, also down two places with a 14% brand value drop.

But importantly, Louis Vuitton is in the top 10, having risen from number 21 last year. Its brand value has leapt 64% to reach $124.2 billion this time.

It’s the first luxury label to reach the global Top 10 “reflecting the growth of the luxury market worldwide and in China in particular”. And it becomes the first European brand to reach the global Top 10 since 2010.

Kantar said that in the wider list, the Technology and Luxury brands categories grew the fastest with a 46% rise for Consumer Technology and 45% for Luxury. 

Louis Vuitton’s top 10 position also means it clearly leads the Luxury ranking, while Nike tops the Apparel list with a 31% increase in its brand value to $109.6 billion. And L'Oréal Paris is leader in the Personal Care ranking with a 24% rise to a value of $47.4 billion.

Looking more closely at that Apparel list, Inditex’s Zara is in second place with a 19% value increase to $25.4 billion. It's also up one place in the list. It replaces Adidas, which has fallen one place to number three, even though its brand value has risen 6% to $23.8 billion.

Lululemon retains its fourth position with a 14% value increase at $20.4 billion, and Uniqlo holds on to its fifth spot even though its value has fallen 8% to $15.4 billion.

H&M stays in sixth position with an 85% increase to $6.8 billion. Also holding on to its position from last year at number seven is Puma, even though its brand value soared 43% to $5.1 billion.

Meanwhile, China-based ANTA stays in eighth position and its value has jumped 26% to $3.77 billion. Li Ning is in ninth position with a value of $3.76 billion and Under Armour rounds out the top 10 with a $3.2 billion value.

What’s particularly noticeable in this list is that apart from the big-name fashion chain stores such as Zara, H&M, and Uniqlo, is that it's dominated by sports brands. This really underlines the importance of the category, and not just for consumers who take part in sport. It shows how sports clothing, accessories and footwear have become the go-to options for many consumers in their everyday lives.