Top Apparel Rankings

Apparel ranks as the seventh most intimate industry in our 2022 rankings. New entry, Abercrombie & Fitch is the top-ranking apparel brand, while veteran Nike ranks second.

Industry Performance

Apparel’s average Brand Intimacy Quotient score is 38.3, above the cross-industry average of 36.8. The industry improved its performance by 24 percent since its appearance in our 2020 study.

Archetypes & Stages

Fulfillment remains the dominant archetype this year, with Zara the top brand for fulfillment. The industry ranks third overall for the identity archetype. Apparel’s sharing and bonding scores are above the cross-industry average.

Head to Head

In comparing Abercrombie & Fitch and Nike, we see Nike performs better across identity and enhancement and leads in the advanced stage of fusing. Abercrombie & Fitch is stronger in the remaining archetypes and across the sharing and bonding stages. Abercrombie & Fitch is linked with being appealing and recommended, while Nike’s keywords include longing and being droolworthy.