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Prada, Michael Kors Top BofA's Q2 Luxury Brand Momentum Rankings
Summary
A new Bank of America report identifies Prada, Michael Kors, and Alaïa as the top-performing soft-luxury brands in its Q2 digital momentum rankings, signaling a continued recovery in the sector led by US and South Korean consumers.
Prada, Michael Kors, and Alaïa registered the strongest digital brand performance among soft-luxury names during the second quarter, according to a new report from Bank of America. The bank's latest Brand Leading Indicator, which tracks online engagement, highlights significant shifts in consumer interest across the high-end retail sector.
Key Movers in Q2
BofA's indicator ranks 43 soft-luxury brands based on a mix of social media followers, online searches, and website traffic, with momentum weighted at 60%. While Prada took the top spot overall, Michael Kors (owned by Capri Holdings) made the most dramatic leap, surging from 33rd place in the first quarter to second place due to a spike in Google searches. Alaïa (owned by Richemont) ranked third.
The report identified Prada and Alaïa as the most consistent performers in the first half of 2026. Other notable shifts among major luxury houses include:
- Gucci (Kering): Improved by 20 places to sixth, driven by stronger US web traffic and promotional events.
- Louis Vuitton (LVMH): Climbed from 28th to 10th place.
- Balenciaga (Kering): Dropped significantly from 13th to 35th place.
- Dior (LVMH): Finished at 31st after search activity in China weakened during the quarter.
In the hard luxury category, Swatch led the rankings, boosted by online interest in its collaboration with Audemars Piguet. Jaeger-LeCoultre and Tissot placed second and third, respectively.
AdSector-Wide Digital Engagement Accelerates
Digital engagement across the soft-luxury sector saw a significant uplift, increasing 18% year-over-year, according to BofA. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of accelerating growth in online activity.
The increase was primarily driven by a 47% surge in Google searches and a 39% rise in website traffic. This strength offset continued weakness in China, where Baidu search activity for these brands remained down 18%. BofA analysts noted that even excluding the unusually strong Google search data, overall online activity still improved by 7 percentage points from the first quarter.
Market Implications
The report's findings support expectations for a continued recovery in luxury demand. The robust growth in online engagement, particularly in Western markets, suggests that consumer interest remains strong, with the US and South Korea leading the rebound. The data provides investors with a timely read on brand heat and digital strategy effectiveness ahead of corporate earnings reports.
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