Brandwave

Hard Yakka vs Lee:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Hard Yakka had more branded searches than Lee among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand. Hard Yakka had about 2,080 branded searches, while Lee had 320. Hard Yakka made up 0.6% of all cargo shorts brand searches we track, and Lee accounted for 0.09%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cargo shorts brands, Hard Yakka appeared in three of the five answers and Lee in none.

Among cargo shorts 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 3 of 5 answers, Lee in 0

Hard Yakka in 3 of 5Lee in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hard Yakka, the only one of the two named

Hard Yakka first in 3Lee never named

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Top cargo shorts brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hard Yakka was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one 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. Mountain Warehouse1st
  2. Hard Yakka2nd
  3. Kathmandu3rd
  4. Stoney Creek4th
  5. Cotton On5th
  6. AS Colour6th
  7. Helly Hansen7th
  8. Lee–
  9. Wrangler–
  10. Dickies–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Mountain Warehouse4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Cotton On3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Hard Yakka3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kathmandu2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • AS Colour2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Stoney Creek2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Helly Hansen2 of 5Named in 2 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
  • Wrangler0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Dickies0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cargo shorts 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 ten cargo shorts brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Hard Yakka and Lee among cargo shorts 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 OnKathmanduMountain WarehouseAS ColourStoney CreekHard YakkaHelly HansenLeeWranglerDickies
Oct 202554.6%16.4%14.1%11.5%2.3%0.61%0.37%0.11%0.02%0.01%
Nov 202556.1%16.8%12%12%2.4%0.4%0.32%0.08%0.01%<0.01%
Dec 202555.2%17.7%14.6%9.8%2%0.31%0.47%0.05%0.01%<0.01%
Jan 202651.6%19.9%16.2%8.9%2.2%0.56%0.51%0.09%<0.01%<0.01%
Feb 202655.3%17.2%14.4%9.6%2.4%0.6%0.38%0.11%0.01%<0.01%
Mar 202655.1%16.9%14.5%9.7%2.9%0.52%0.31%0.09%0.01%<0.01%
Apr 202652.7%19.6%13.9%9.3%3.4%0.54%0.37%0.09%0.02%<0.01%
May 202654.3%17.1%14.3%9.6%3.5%0.61%0.38%0.11%0.02%<0.01%
Jun 202647.1%21.7%15.2%10.2%4.5%0.72%0.4%0.12%0.02%<0.01%
Jul 202644.9%21%21.6%7.9%3.5%0.62%0.38%0.11%0.02%<0.01%
Aug 202648.9%17.7%18.8%10.3%3.1%0.58%0.48%0.12%0.02%<0.01%
Sep 202655.7%16.6%14.3%9.5%2.9%0.6%0.37%0.09%0.02%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 shorts brands in New Zealand moved from 0.61% to 0.6%, 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 shorts brands in New Zealand moved from 0.11% to 0.09%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 390 to 320.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand cargo shorts 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 shorts brands

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