FASHION

The Fashion World By the Numbers

A highly subjective look at the industry, from the tyranny of butter yellow to the rise and fall of Labubus.

by Jensen Davis

A collage of the fashion world broken down in numbers, featuring runway models, labubus and Marilyn ...
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Presenting the latest installment of W’s column By the Numbers, where we explore a given field—from art and fashion to music and movies—through the essential and eccentric metrics that define it. For W’s annual Fashion Issue, we cover everything from designer changes at major fashion houses to the resale boom of the “Snoafer.”

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13 creative directors have left major fashion brands this year.

16 are making their debuts at them.

81% of the new designers are men.

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In June, after 201 days of rumors that Jonathan Anderson would take over Dior, he was publicly named the brand’s head menswear designer.

46 days later, he was named its head womenswear designer.

More than 1,000,000 people watched the live stream of Anderson’s menswear debut, in June.

Aeon/GC Images/Getty Images

In March, after 28 years as the chief creative officer of Versace, Donatella Versace stepped down and was replaced by Dario Vitale, the former design and image director of Miu Miu.

28 days later, Prada Group acquired Versace from Capri Holdings for $1.38 billion.

In 2018, Capri Holdings acquired Versace for $2.15 billion.

@rickowensonline

$5 is the cost of a subscription to Rick Owens’s OnlyFans account, which is devoted to feet pics.

Robert Kamau/GC Images/Getty Images

77% of British women think it’s unacceptable for women to wear clothes that reveal their nipples in public.

48% of British men think it’s unacceptable.

Victor Boyko/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

0 nipples were on view at Miu Miu’s fall 2025 show, though 52 bullet bras were featured.

Kristy Sparow/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

The presence of butter yellow at the fall 2025 runway shows increased by 176% from the year before.

In the first 6 months of the year, 84 Vogue articles mentioned “butter yellow.”

Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In the past 2 years, Google searches for vintage fur coats have increased by 688%.

Men’s Pinterest searches for “jorts outfit” are up 135% from last year.

New Balance

59% of Brits think it’s unacceptable for men to wear sneakers with a suit to a formal event.

Online searches for New Balance’s 1906L—aka the “snoafer,” a half sneaker, half loafer—have increased by 3,700% on the resale site StockX since the design was announced in early 2024.

Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Since last year, there’s been a 112% increase in “sneakerinas”—half sneakers, half ballet flats—for sale.

Louis Vuitton sells them in 10 different colors.

Jacopo Raule/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Demna had 3 pantashoes—leggings combined with shoes—in his final collection for Balenciaga.

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56% of shoppers say they buy luxury fashion to feel good.

10% say they buy it to show off.

ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images

Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin sold at auction in July for $10,100,000, 5 times its estimate.

John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images

Sports fans are nearly 2 times more likely than the average American to pay more for luxury brands.

Chanel made its first ever sports partnership in its 115-year history by sponsoring the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.

67% of fashion executives think India is a promising market for growth.

There is currently 1 Chanel boutique in all of India.

Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty Images

70,000,000 people are expected to be on Ozempic by 2028.

Since last year, Reformation’s plus-size range has decreased by 46%.

51% of Brits keep clothes in their wardrobe that are too small, in case they fit into them in the future.

IXOLA/BACKGRID

In the first 6 months of this year, 100% of the dresses made by Khy, Kylie Jenner’s brand, were bodycon.

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

In the 4 months after President Trump announced tariffs on China, U.S. shoppers’ use of the Shein app dropped by 12%.

Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

In May, global eBay users searched “Labubu” 450 times per hour.

Since late August, Pop Mart, the maker of Labubu, has lost about $13 billion in market value as the frenzy for the monsters cools.

Courtesy of H&M

H&M is using AI digital “twins” of 30 human models on social media and in marketing.

When shopping online, 13% of Brits prefer to see outfits on attractive models.

56% prefer to see them on ordinary models.

Sources: The Cut, The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, Capri, Reuters, YouGov, Pinterest, The Wall Street Journal, Trendalytics, Bloomberg, Edited, McKinsey, Chanel, Business Insider, Financial Times, Modern Retail, BBC