Brand performance cloud Launchmetrics has released a new report, The Desirability Gap: How Mass Market Brands are Repositioning to Compete, examining how mass-market fashion brands are using premiumisation to stand out. According to the report, the mass market is under pressure from both directions: ultra-low-cost players undercutting prices from below, and accessible premium brands attracting aspirational shoppers from above.

Launchmetrics analysed 50 mass-market brands between 1 January 2025 and 30 June 2026. Brands that used premium strategies had, on average, twice the Media Impact Value (MIV) of those that didn’t. Alongside MIV, the report uses AI to identify the narratives running through each brand’s coverage, which Launchmetrics calls “Key Themes”, to show what that visibility actually meant.

Top 20 mass-market fashion brands by MIV

55% of the top 20 adopted premiumisation tactics, and 64% of those saw MIV growth as a result.

Partnerships and collaborations

70% of mass-market brands that used premium collaborations saw positive growth, averaging a 29% increase in MIV.

• Zara x John Galliano - Announced on 17 March 2026, the two-year partnership drove $8.3M in MIV in just 48 hours. It marked Galliano’s first return to a professional design role since leaving Maison Margiela in 2024 and his first-ever mass-market collaboration. ‘Archival authority’ was referenced in 62% of MIV and ‘premium elevation’ in 54%.
• Mango x Eckhaus Latta - The collaboration drove $3.2M in MIV, with 57% speaking to ‘designer democratisation’ and 50% to ‘subversive wearability’.
• H&M x Perfect Moment - The skiwear collaboration drove $4.1M in MIV, with a campaign featuring Lila Moss and Justine Skye and a launch event in Verbier. ‘Aspirational codes’ ran through every placement, and 67% spoke to ‘accessible performance’.

Creative director appointments

Gap Inc. appointed Zac Posen as EVP and Creative Director in February 2024, overseeing Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, after Gap’s revenue fell almost 12% from fiscal year 2022 to 2024. Posen’s strategy included launching the sub-brand GapStudio in April 2025, collaborations with DÔEN ($456K MIV), Sandy Liang ($2.13M MIV) and Victoria Beckham ($5.3M MIV), and red carpet dressing, including Kendall Jenner at the Met Gala ($15.5M MIV). Gap’s MIV rose 99% between January 2025 and June 2026 compared with the same period before his appointment, with 78% of MIV mentioning ‘accessible elevation’ and 61% ‘high-low prestige’.

Ambassador activations

Every mass-market brand that grew through premiumisation between January 2025 and June 2026 featured a high-profile ambassador in its campaigns.

• Emma Raducanu for Uniqlo - Named global brand ambassador in February 2026, leaving a long-standing partnership with Nike, Raducanu drove $1.5M in MIV on announcement. Already an ambassador for Tiffany & Co., Dior and Porsche, she brought ‘luxury association’ to 43% of MIV and ‘fashion-sports crossover’ to 33%.
• Hailey Bieber for Mango - Named the face of Mango’s Summer 2026 “Craft Your Own Story” campaign in May 2026, driving $3.8M in MIV, with 30% speaking to ‘trend legitimacy’ and 17% to ‘accessible inspiration’.

Cultural arenas

• Super Bowl - The 2026 Super Bowl drove $1.8B in MIV, with Bad Bunny accounting for 52% ($942M). Zara’s custom all-cream look for him generated $19.9M in MIV, with ‘sports-fashion crossover’ in 79% of MIV and ‘accessible prestige’ in 75%.
• Met Gala - Zara dressed Stevie Nicks and Bad Bunny, generating $11.5M in MIV, with ‘designer credibility’ in 73% of MIV and ‘luxury legitimacy’ in 64%.
• J.Crew and The Devil Wears Prada 2 - Meryl Streep wore a custom cerulean cashmere sweater by J.Crew on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, generating $353K in MIV, with ‘cerulean nostalgia’ in 96% of MIV.
• Primark x Bridgerton - Primark’s Bridgerton-inspired collection, launched to coincide with Season 4, generated $212K in MIV, with ‘affordable luxury’ in 46% of MIV.

Alison Bringé, Chief Marketing Officer at Launchmetrics, said: “The brands doing this well are asking a sharper question than how much attention they generated. They want to know what that attention did.”

For more information and to download the full report, visit launchmetrics.com.