Contemporary and premium brands now make up 31% of department store fashion floors

Contemporary and premium brands now account for 31% of the women's fashion business inside department stores, according to a new report from the International Association of Department Stores, or IADS. High-street and mid-range brands hold 22% of the same segment, and a category the IADS calls "advanced contemporary" takes a further 21%.

The IADS gathered the figures from its member stores, which together run more than 563 stores across 32 countries. The trade body frames the split as evidence that luxury itself remains under pressure while the tiers beneath it gain ground on fashion floors.

The names repeating across the member bestseller lists are consistent from market to market, the IADS said, spanning the United States, Germany, Ukraine and the Middle East. In contemporary, those are Sandro, Maje, Max Mara and Self-Portrait, and higher up the price ladder, Victoria Beckham, Ami Paris and Jacquemus recur most often.

Jacquemus was founded by designer Simon Porte Jacquemus and is known for playful, directional runway shows rather than seasonal basics. Ami Paris was founded by designer Alexandre Mattiussi and built its name in menswear. Max Mara, recurring most often in the contemporary tier, has built its name on tailored outerwear instead.

Victoria Beckham's turnaround in the same tiers

We reported that Victoria Beckham's fashion and beauty house has recorded its first operating profit, a turnaround built on stronger core sales and a harder push into accessible pricing tiers alongside its ready-to-wear collections.

Beauty has become the bigger driver behind that turnaround, a pattern we have also seen at other founder-led labels, where the category carries higher margins than apparel. That shift toward accessible pricing at a premium name is the same movement IADS is now recording across department store fashion floors more broadly.

Retailers move stock toward the middle tiers

Individual retailers are already shifting stock accordingly. At Tryano in Abu Dhabi, operator Chalhoub identified the €400 to €800 price bracket as delivering the strongest sell-throughs. Chalhoub is a leading luxury goods retailer and distributor in the Middle East, partnering with houses including Dior and Gucci.

Chalhoub has also been expanding its e-commerce platform alongside a store network spanning fashion, beauty and gifts, a dual push that mirrors the online gains department stores are recording in the same women's fashion category more widely.

In Mexico, El Palacio de Hierro has redirected part of its open-to-buy budget toward affordable luxury and entry price points, a move it made to offset weaker sales at the higher end. We reported a similar dynamic on the property side: Simon Property Group posted strong leasing activity after re-letting space vacated by off-price retailer Saks Off Fifth to tenants paying higher rents.

Simon Property's wider portfolio of malls and outlet centres also posted rising retail sales over the same quarter, the operator said. Saks Off Fifth's pull-back reflects wider strain at parent company Saks Global following its merger with Neiman Marcus, and it freed mall space that Simon Property expects to re-let to more productive tenants.

The wager is that class-A mall landlords gain from that turnover instead of being dragged down by it. We noted that physical retail real estate in top-tier locations is bifurcating sharply from weaker secondary malls, a split that mirrors the one IADS is now describing on the fashion floor itself.

Denim diverges and online keeps gaining

Denim is behaving differently by market. The IADS reported declines in some regions alongside what it called "explosive growth" in the United States, where price increases have been absorbed without customer resistance. Its advice to members is to lean into fit diversity, so shoppers feel they need multiple styles rather than a single replacement for an old pair.

Online sales continue to take share within the women's fashion category. The channel generated about 22% of department store sales in 2025, up from 20% the year before, the IADS figures show.

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