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Ariana Grande Increased Searches for Big-Ass Hoodies by 130 Percent in 2018

Finally, our favorite cozy look was liberated from hungover Sundays and considered high fashion.
Ariana Grande in large sweaters
Photo by Gotham/GC Images/Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto

This year, with the debut of her fourth studio album Sweetener and one-off single "thank u, next," Ariana Grande has garnered her first Billboard 100 No. 1 hit and broken a YouTube record. But…can we talk about her fashion sense, too? Without question, Grande has captured the essence of a playful babysitter with a penchant for Jennifer Beals' Flashdance sweaters. Her high ponytails, glistening lip glosses, and oversized sweaters have won fans over—and changed the way many of them dress.

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According to Lyst, a global fashion search platform, inquiries for oversized hoodies are up 130 percent compared to last year, which they attribute to fans wanting to replicate Grande's signature off-the-shoulder oversized sweaters.

Lyst also found that Rihanna and Cardi B have caused ripple effects because of some of their fashion choices.

Rihanna wore a Gucci balaclava at Coachella this year, which Lyst believes caused a 19 percent spike in searches for the item, after she wore it. Cardi B's mention of Balenciaga trainers—"the ones that look like socks" in her lyrics for "I Like It" (a song played over 650 million plays on Spotify since May)—is believed to have something to do with the actual high-end designer sock boots selling out globally.

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“Cardi, Rihanna, and Ariana are ultra-influencers," Katy Lubin, Lyst's communications director, tells Broadly. "With millions of passionate followers, these women are shaping the global popular culture beyond just setting fashion trends. We see an immediate and powerful spike in demand when they champion a fashion brand—every post on Instagram is inspiring thousands of young women to search for copycat looks. Exact-match items sell out worldwide, and we also often see customers purchasing similar pieces at lower price points."

In May, Rihanna launched her lingerie collection, Savage Fenty, that was praised for having inclusive sizing and branding. The move came after launching her own clothing line with Puma in 2016 and her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, in 2017. A large part of Rihanna's success has been leveraging her fanbase to support her beauty and fashion endeavors, and it also helps that she's considered a fashion icon. While "icon" may not be a term used for Cardi B just yet, she's certainly creating a lane of her own in fashion. "It has been amazing to watch Cardi B’s fashion influence grow so fast in such a short period of time," Lubin says. "Her affordable collection for Fashion Nova sold out immediately—a real tribute to the power of her infectious personality and unapologetic, authentic take on style."