Startup Brand Ranking 2026
Niche Beats the Mass Market
What makes young fashion brands successful today? The years of startup hype are over. What matters today is not so much the prospect of maximum scalability as the ability to truly understand a target audience.
This is one of the key findings of the sixth “Startup Brand Ranking,” published by Jung von Matt START and Appinio on September 2, 2026. The message is particularly relevant for the fashion industry: While food, personal care, and other consumer categories continue to produce new growth brands, the going is getting tougher for young fashion labels.
At the top of the “Fashion & Accessories” ranking is 6PM with a score of 738, followed by Sperling (702), Bracenet (691), Sternglas (641), and emma & noah (630). 6PM achieved a particularly strong score in word-of-mouth and a high purchase intent. This top ranking underscores that brand loyalty and commercial relevance are increasingly intertwined.
Across all categories, the study’s authors observe a paradigm shift: purchase intent trumps awareness. Brand awareness alone, therefore, no longer automatically leads to a purchase. Identification, affinity, and trust have become decisive factors—that is, whether a brand is actually relevant to people. At the same time, the niche market is gaining importance relative to the mass market. Successful challengers address specific needs and consistently translate their understanding of their target audience into their products and communications.
The fashion segment, in particular, faces a special challenge in this regard. Unlike in the food or healthcare sectors, many young labels lack prospects for further growth. Brick-and-mortar retailers are also struggling to use young brands as a means of revitalization. At the same time, the secondhand market is growing and capturing demand, according to the study, which surveyed 40,000 consumers.
The result, therefore, might lie less in even greater reach and more in a clearer stance. The ranking cites 6PM as an example: The brand combines a strong community with a clear cultural statement. Hot Boys Cry, the newcomer featured in “Brand Radar,” also follows this principle. The streetwear label incorporates male vulnerability, emotions, and mental health into its brand identity.
The overarching insight from the ranking can therefore also be interpreted as a call to action for the fashion industry: Not every brand needs to be relevant to everyone. But it should mean something to the right people.
