Competition among brands is fierce, and strong social media presence is a core driver of brand heat, according to L.E.K. Consulting Group’s fifth annual survey.
The group’s 2026 U.S. Footwear, Apparel and Accessories Brand Heat Index is based on a survey of nearly 5,000 U.S. consumers between the ages of 14 and 55.
The latest results showed that brand popularity differs meaningfully by gender and generation, with women and younger generations having a higher proportion of newcomer brands on their Top 10 lists. “Increasingly, we are seeing brands leverage their strength with women to develop a material men’s business as well,” the report said.
Athletic and casual footwear are the categories with the strongest engagement — but athletic footwear heat has declined slightly year-over-year, suggesting some softness in the category. In addition, the top brands for casual footwear aren’t viewed necessarily as “premium,” mostly due to the strong positioning of accessibly priced brands and fast-fashion players.
Based on the L.E.K. survey over the years, the top 10 brands in athletic footwear for both men’s and women’s have remained fairly consistent, with Nike holding onto it No. 1 brand position. Hoka and On, especially among female respondents, are close behind. Running-heritage brands such as New Balance and Asics are gaining ground, while Brooks is noteworthy, particularly among women.
Among the female respondents, Nike leads among millennials, while On ties for the top spot among Gen Z, and Hoka is the top brand in the Gen X demographic. Adidas continues to see growth among Gen Z, while Asics enters the Top 10 ranking driven by strong performance among the Gen Z demographic.
Among the male respondents, legacy brands Nike, Jordan Brand and Adidas maintained the Top three spots, with Hoka, New Balance and On Running closing the gap. New Balance is a favorite of Gen Z and millennials, while Hoka is No. 2 among Gen X men.
In women’s athletic footwear, the Top 10 brands ranked on a scale of 1 to 100 are: Nike (100), Hoka (92), On Running (91), Jordan Brand (76), Adidas (70), New Balance (70), Brooks (62), Under Armour (61), NoBull (44), and Asics (44).
In men’s athletic footwear, the Top 10 are: Nike (100), Jordan Brand (89), Adidas (72), Hoka (66), New Balance (64), On Running (61), Under Armour (60), Puma (45), Asics (41), and Reebok (36).
In casual footwear, the top brands are Ugg, Hey Dude, Crocs and Timberland. Among the female respondents, Ugg captured the top spot, with Hey Dude taking the lead among both millennials and Gen X women, with Ugg and Crocs outperforming among the Gen Z demographic.
Among the male respondents, Timberland jumped to the Top spot, versus No. 3 last year. Hey Dude was a favorite among the Gen X cohorts, with Crocs leading among the Gen Z respondents.
For women’s casual footwear, the Top 10 brands are: Ugg (100), Hey Dude (100), Crocs (99), Converse (73), Vans (72), Birkenstock (67), Oofos (58), Skechers (58), Timberland (56), and Dr. Martens (48).
For men’s casual footwear, the Top 10 brands are: Timberland (100), Hey Dude (94), Crocs (93), Vans (84), Polo Ralph Lauren (81), Converse (74), Ugg (72), Skechers (69), Birkenstock (62), and Dr. Martens (56).
In the dress footwear category, only Steve Madden was represented among both male and female respondents.
Among women, Coach held the top spot across the Gen Z, millennial and Gen X groups, while Steve Madden was second among Gen Z and millennials. Michael Kors was second among Gen Xers. And gaining ground was Kurt Geiger, the third favorite among Gen Z respondents, sixth among millennials and seventh, tying with LK Bennett, among Gen Xers. And in men’s dress footwear, Steve Madden was the favorite among Gen Z respondents, Wolf & Shepherd among millennials and Nisolo among the Gen X group.
In women’s dress footwear, the Top 10 are: Coach (100), Michael Kors (76), Steve Madden (72), Kate Spade (70), Calvin Klein (63), Kurt Geiger (59), Polo Ralph Lauren (53), Sam Edelman (50, Vince (41), and Dolce Vita (41).
In men’s dress footwear, the Top 10 are: Hugo Boss (100), Kenneth Cole (97), Cole Haan (92), Ferragamo (88), Steve Madden (85), Aldo (74), Stacy Adams (67), Wolf & Shepherd (59), Johnston & Murphy (53), and Allen Edmonds (51).
And in the outdoor and rugged footwear group, heritage outdoor and workwear brands continue to anchor the category, with men skewing more toward rugged and workwear brands such as Carhartt and Timberland and women favoring winter lifestyle brands such as Ugg and Bearpaw. Among the female respondents, Bearpaw was a top gainer with brand heat growth driven by strong performance among millennials and Gen X. And Hunter Boots re-entered the Top 10 with solid performance across generations. Among the male respondents, premium technical brands Arc’teryx and Salomon were the top gainers, with the former No. 4 among millennials and Gen X respondents and Salomon at No. 6, particularly among millennial respondents.
In women’s outdoor and rugged footwear, the Top 10 ranked brands are: Ugg (100), The North Face (87), Carhartt (86), Columbia (67), Timberland (67), Ariat (59), Bearpaw (58), Hunter Boots (52), Arc’teryx (49), and Sorel (45).
In men’s outdoor and rugged footwear, the Top 10 are: Carhartt (100), Timberland (92), Columbia (86), Arc’teryx (66), Ariat (64), Salomon (53), Merrell (52), L.L.Bean (51), Red Wing Shoes (50), and Ugg (50).
According to Laura Brookhiser and Chris Randall, both managing directors and partners at L.E.K.’s Boston office and the authors of the Brand Heat Index report, noted that generational differences in top brand rankings point to the importance of recognizing that consumers are not all the same, requiring that brands have both deep understanding and tailored strategies for each demographic in order to win.
