Lee vs River Island:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, River Island had more branded searches than Lee among jeans brands in the United Kingdom. River Island had about 9,900 branded searches, while Lee had 6,600. River Island made up 10.4% of all jeans brand searches we track, and Lee accounted for 6.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about jeans brands, neither Lee nor River Island appeared in any of the four answers.
Who do people search for more?
River Island, about 50% more searches than Lee
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 0 of 4 answers.
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Top jeans brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, neither Lee nor River Island showed up in any of the four answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Levi's1st
Wrangler2nd
M&S3rd
Diesel–- River Island–
Lee–
G-Star RAW–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Levi's4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- M&S2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Wrangler2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Diesel0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- River Island0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Lee0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- G-Star RAW0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about jeans brands
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best jeans brands in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Where can I buy jeans that fit well in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which jeans last the longest?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“jeans”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.
Is Lee or River Island more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Lee and River Island by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven jeans brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for River Island, Lee. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Levi's | M&S | Wrangler | Diesel | River Island | Lee | G-Star RAW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 38.1% | 20.8% | 11.4% | 9.3% | 11.4% | 6.2% | 2.8% |
| Nov 2025 | 47.8% | 14.3% | 9.6% | 9.6% | 9.6% | 6.4% | 2.8% |
| Dec 2025 | 47.3% | 14.2% | 9.5% | 11.6% | 9.5% | 5.2% | 2.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 36.4% | 20% | 13.3% | 10.9% | 8.9% | 7.3% | 3.2% |
| Feb 2026 | 34.2% | 23% | 12.5% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 6.8% | 3% |
| Mar 2026 | 35.2% | 23.6% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 7% | 2.5% |
| Apr 2026 | 39.1% | 21.4% | 11.7% | 9.6% | 9.6% | 6.4% | 2.3% |
| May 2026 | 38% | 17% | 13.9% | 11.4% | 9.3% | 7.6% | 2.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 41.8% | 15.3% | 15.3% | 10.2% | 8.3% | 6.8% | 2.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 37.2% | 13.6% | 16.6% | 13.6% | 9% | 7.4% | 2.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 30.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 9.1% | 7.5% | 2.6% |
| Sep 2026 | 28.3% | 23.2% | 15.5% | 12.7% | 10.4% | 6.9% | 3% |
River Island sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “river island jeans”.
How has the Lee and River Island comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- River Island 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 jeans brands in the United Kingdom moved from 6.2% to 6.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.1K to 6.6K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, River Island’s share of searches among jeans brands in the United Kingdom moved from 11.4% to 10.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 9.9K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom jeans brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, River Island gained share of searches among jeans brands in the United Kingdom, from 9.1% to 10.4%.
In September 2026, Lee lost share of searches among jeans brands in the United Kingdom, from 7.5% to 6.9%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Lee’s and River Island’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
1 branded search term
- lee jeans
River Island
1 branded search term
- river island jeans
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