Brandwave

Kathmandu vs Unbound Merino:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Unbound Merino had more branded searches than Kathmandu among merino clothing brands in Australia. Unbound Merino had about 1,300 branded searches, while Kathmandu had 390. Unbound Merino made up 11.6% of all merino clothing brand searches we track, and Kathmandu accounted for 3.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about merino clothing brands, Kathmandu appeared in two of the five answers and Unbound Merino in none.

Among merino clothing brands in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Unbound Merino, about 3 searches for every 1 for Kathmandu

Unbound Merino 1.3K searchesKathmandu 390 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Kathmandu, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Unbound Merino in 0

Kathmandu in 2 of 5Unbound Merino in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Kathmandu, the only one of the two named

Kathmandu first in 2Unbound Merino never named

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Top merino clothing brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kathmandu was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Unbound Merino did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Icebreaker1st
  2. Kathmandu2nd
  3. Smartwool3rd
  4. Merino Country4th
  5. Macpac5th
  6. Mons Royale6th
  7. Unbound Merino–
  8. Le Bent–
  9. Norsewear–
  10. Untouched World–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Icebreaker4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Smartwool2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Merino Country2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kathmandu2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Macpac2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Mons Royale1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Unbound Merino0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Le Bent0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Norsewear0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Untouched World0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about merino clothing brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 26, 2026.

Is Kathmandu or Unbound Merino more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Kathmandu and Unbound Merino by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 merino clothing brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Kathmandu and Unbound Merino among merino clothing brands in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Unbound Merino, Kathmandu. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMons RoyaleIcebreakerUnbound MerinoLe BentNorsewearSmartwoolMerino CountryUntouched WorldKathmanduMacpacNoble WildeWool&Prince
Oct 202521.8%17.7%12%6.5%1.2%13.6%9.8%5.3%4.4%4.4%1.9%1.5%
Nov 202524.4%16%13.5%10.9%0.93%13.5%6.1%4%4%4%1.2%1.4%
Dec 202524.6%16.4%13.3%10.3%0.92%13.3%7.4%4%3.3%4%1.4%0.92%
Jan 202620.3%17.1%17.1%7.7%0.75%13.9%7.7%5.1%4.2%3.4%1.8%1.2%
Feb 202624.7%16.9%13%7.7%0.91%11.4%7.7%6.2%4.2%4.2%1.8%1.4%
Mar 202630.6%16.9%10.6%4.1%0.95%10.6%7.6%6.2%4.1%4.1%2.7%1.5%
Apr 202629%19.3%8.1%3.9%1.4%10.5%8.1%5.8%4.8%4.8%3.1%1.4%
May 202625.3%20.4%9.1%5.1%1.5%9.1%9.1%6.2%5.1%5.1%3.4%0.77%
Jun 202625.9%21.2%9.4%5.2%1.2%9.4%7.6%5.2%5.9%5.2%2.8%1%
Jul 202623.2%23.2%10.3%5.7%1.4%10.3%6.5%5.7%5.7%4.6%2.5%0.9%
Aug 202625.3%20.4%11.2%7%1.2%9.1%7%6.2%5.1%4.1%2.2%1.2%
Sep 202625.8%16.9%11.6%7.8%7.8%7.8%6.4%6.4%3.5%3.5%1.5%0.98%

Kathmandu sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “kathmandu merino”.

How has the Kathmandu and Unbound Merino comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for Australia merino clothing brands in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Norsewear overtook Smartwool and 5 others to rank 5th among merino clothing brands in Australia, with 7.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Kathmandu lost share of searches among merino clothing brands in Australia, from 5.1% to 3.5%.

  3. Unbound Merino’s share of searches among merino clothing brands in Australia has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 9.4% to 11.6% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kathmandu’s and Unbound Merino’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Kathmandu

1 branded search term

  • kathmandu merino

Unbound Merino

1 branded search term

  • unbound merino

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among merino clothing brands

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