Brandwave

Kathmandu vs Lee:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Kathmandu had more branded searches than Lee among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand. Kathmandu had about 57,600 branded searches, while Lee had 320. Kathmandu made up 16.6% 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, Kathmandu appeared in two of the five answers and Lee in none.

Among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Kathmandu, about 180 searches for every 1 for Lee

Kathmandu 57.6K searchesLee 320 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Kathmandu, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Lee in 0

Kathmandu in 2 of 5Lee in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Kathmandu, the only one of the two named

Kathmandu first in 2Lee 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, Kathmandu 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. 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 Kathmandu or Lee more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Kathmandu 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.

Kathmandu and Lee among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Kathmandu, 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 Kathmandu and Lee comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Kathmandu was ahead of Lee in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kathmandu’s share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand moved from 16.4% to 16.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 57.4K to 57.6K.
  • 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?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Kathmandu lost share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, from 17.7% to 16.6%.

  2. 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?

20 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kathmandu’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.

Kathmandu

19 branded search terms

  • Kathmandu
  • kathmandu bayfair
  • kathmandu beach shelter
  • kathmandu beach trolley
  • kathmandu botany
  • kathmandu gloves
  • kathmandu lyall bay
  • kathmandu northland
  • kathmandu outlet
  • kathmandu retreat 280
  • kathmandu retreat 80
  • kathmandu socks
  • kathmandu st lukes
  • kathmandu sylvia park
  • kathmandu tower junction
  • kathmandu trolley
  • kathmandu vest
  • kathmandu waitakere
  • kathmandu westgate

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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