--- title: "Lee vs Madewell: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Lee or Madewell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Denim brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/lee-jeans-vs-madewell" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Lee vs Madewell: Which is searched more? Is Lee or Madewell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Denim brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Lee and Madewell - **Competitive set**: Denim brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Lee Share of Search**: 4.6% - **Madewell Share of Search**: 34.6% ## Is Lee or Madewell more popular in search? - In September 2026, Madewell had more branded searches than Lee among denim brands worldwide. Madewell had about 823,000 branded searches, while Lee had 110,000. Madewell made up 34.6% of all denim brand searches we track, and Lee accounted for 4.6%. - Madewell was ahead of Lee in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lee’s share of searches among denim brands worldwide moved from 5.2% to 4.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 110K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Madewell’s share of searches among denim brands worldwide moved from 31.9% to 34.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 823K. ## Top denim brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Madewell was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Lee did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Levi's | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Madewell | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | AGOLDE | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Wrangler | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Nudie Jeans | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Ksubi | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Lee | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about denim brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which denim brand should I buy?": 1. Levi's, 2. Madewell, 3. AGOLDE - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best denim brands?": 1. Levi's, 2. AGOLDE, 3. Madewell, 4. Nudie Jeans - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best denim brand for everyday jeans?": 1. Levi's, 2. Madewell, 3. Wrangler - Searched Google, AI Overview "jeans brand": 1. Levi's, 2. Wrangler - Searched Google, AI Overview "selvedge denim": 1. Levi's Not named in any answer: Ksubi and Lee. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for denim brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Madewell lost share of searches among denim brands worldwide, from 35.3% to 34.6%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Lee worldwide fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 110K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Lee estimated searches | Lee Share of Search | Lee rank | Madewell estimated searches | Madewell Share of Search | Madewell rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 135K | 5.2% | 6 | 823K | 31.9% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 165K | 5.1% | 6 | 1.2M | 37.3% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 135K | 4.8% | 6 | 1M | 35.9% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 135K | 5.6% | 6 | 673K | 28.1% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 110K | 5.6% | 6 | 550K | 28% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 135K | 5.3% | 6 | 823K | 32.3% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 135K | 5.8% | 6 | 823K | 35.3% | 2 | | May 2026 | 135K | 5.7% | 6 | 823K | 34.8% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 110K | 5.2% | 6 | 673K | 31.9% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 90.5K | 4.3% | 6 | 673K | 31.7% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 110K | 4.7% | 6 | 823K | 35.3% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 110K | 4.6% | 6 | 823K | 34.6% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Lee’s and Madewell’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. - **Lee**: Measured on the search term “lee jeans”. - **Madewell**: Measured on the search term “madewell”. - [Lee profile](/demand/global-en/brands/lee-jeans) - [Madewell profile](/demand/global-en/brands/madewell) - [All denim brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/denim-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Lee or Madewell more popular in search? In September 2026, Madewell had more branded searches than Lee among denim brands worldwide. Madewell had about 823,000 branded searches, while Lee had 110,000. Madewell made up 34.6% of all denim brand searches we track, and Lee accounted for 4.6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Lee vs Madewell: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/lee-jeans-vs-madewell This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/lee-jeans-vs-madewell. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.