What the 2019 Most Valuable Apparel Brands Ranking Says About Some Promotional Products Categories

Promotional apparel suppliers and distributors know that the promo products world follows closely behind the retail landscape. So when Brand Finance released is 2019 annual report on the world's most valuable and strongest apparel brands, we knew we had to dive in.

Brand Finance's rankings are calculated using four criteria: brand strength index, brand royalty rate, brand revenues and brand value. You can read more about the breakdown here.

Here are our promotional insights on the top 50 rankings:

1. Performance wear reigns supreme

Nike again took the top spot on the rankings, with a brand value of $32.4 billion. In addition, Adidas went up from No. 4 to No. 3. This is not surprising given how these two brands have been dominating the athleisure world. Shoppers are gravitating toward looks that can do it all, and Nike especially has been pulling all the stops with its apparel collaborations and yoga collections. In fact, the sportswear company is basically the master of the Gen Z crowd.

On the other side of the athletic apparel equation is Under Armour. We've been following the company's struggles for some time now, and it looks like things aren't getting any better for the company's value ranking. Under Armour dropped from the No. 19 spot to the No. 25 spot this year, potentially indicating that the Under Armour brand name could begin falling out of favor with consumers as other athletic apparel companies continue to push boundaries to design and innovate their product lines.

2. Outdoor apparel and outerwear are here to stay

For the past few years, consumers have been willing to invest the big bucks in quality outerwear. On this year's rankings, The North Face went up from the No. 24 spot to the No. 17 spot. At retail, that means consumers are looking for tough fabrications that can stand up to the elements and technical details. The same should hold true for promo.

3. Sunglasses are huge

In the promotional world, we know that sunglasses are a mainstay item that will never go out of style. But, it's always nice when the retail world confirms what we already know. This year, Ray-Ban grabbed the No. 20 spot, up from last year's No. 22 spot. Ray-Ban's Wayfarer and Aviator designs are classic looks that end-users gravitate to.

4. Luxury is in demand

With H&M falling from the No. 2 spot to the No. 4 spot, and Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci and Rolex grabbing spots in the top 10, it seems consumers are still willing to spend money on name brand, high-end goods. Meanwhile, brands that fall into the middle of the equation, like Zara and Uniqlo, also seem to be holding their own.