Brandwave

Hard Yakka vs Lee:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Hard Yakka had more branded searches than Lee among cargo pants brands in New Zealand. Hard Yakka had about 2,080 branded searches, while Lee had 320. Hard Yakka made up 0.75% of all cargo pants brand searches we track, and Lee accounted for 0.11%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cargo pants brands, Hard Yakka appeared in two of the five answers and Lee in none.

Among cargo pants brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Hard Yakka, about 7 searches for every 1 for Lee

Hard Yakka 2.1K searchesLee 320 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Hard Yakka, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Lee in 0

Hard Yakka in 2 of 5Lee in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hard Yakka, the only one of the two named

Hard Yakka first in 2Lee never named

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Top cargo pants brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hard Yakka was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Lee 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. Dickies1st
  2. Kathmandu2nd
  3. I Love Ugly3rd
  4. Cotton On4th
  5. Hard Yakka5th
  6. Levi's–
  7. Lee–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Kathmandu4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Cotton On3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • I Love Ugly3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Dickies3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hard Yakka2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Levi's0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Lee0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cargo pants brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

Is Hard Yakka or Lee more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hard Yakka and Lee by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven cargo pants brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Hard Yakka and Lee among cargo pants brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Hard Yakka, Lee. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCotton OnKathmanduI Love UglyLevi'sHard YakkaLeeDickies
Oct 202569.2%20.7%8%1.1%0.77%0.14%0.01%
Nov 202565.3%19.5%14%0.67%0.46%0.09%<0.01%
Dec 202568.8%22%8.2%0.56%0.38%0.06%<0.01%
Jan 202666.5%25.6%6.3%0.78%0.72%0.11%<0.01%
Feb 202669.9%21.7%6.7%0.84%0.76%0.14%0.01%
Mar 202669.1%21.1%8.2%0.89%0.65%0.12%<0.01%
Apr 202667%24.9%6.5%0.76%0.69%0.11%<0.01%
May 202668.4%21.6%8.1%0.94%0.77%0.14%<0.01%
Jun 202661%28.1%8.8%0.97%0.94%0.16%<0.01%
Jul 202661.9%28.9%7.3%0.86%0.86%0.16%<0.01%
Aug 202662.3%22.6%13.1%1%0.74%0.16%<0.01%
Sep 202669.4%20.7%8%1.1%0.75%0.11%0.01%

How has the Hard Yakka and Lee comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Hard Yakka was ahead of Lee in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hard Yakka’s share of searches among cargo pants brands in New Zealand moved from 0.77% to 0.75%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 2.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lee’s share of searches among cargo pants brands in New Zealand moved from 0.14% to 0.11%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 390 to 320.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand cargo pants brands in September 2026?

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Lee in New Zealand fell 17.9% over 12 measured months, from 390 to 320 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hard Yakka’s and Lee’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.

Hard Yakka

6 branded search terms

  • hard yakka boots
  • hard yakka clothing
  • hard yakka overalls
  • hard yakka pants
  • hard yakka shirts
  • hardyakka

Lee

1 branded search term

  • lee jeans

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among cargo pants brands

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