Michael Kors Just Beat Every Other Fashion Brand

The lifestyle brand beat out heavyweights like Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, and Ralph Lauren, according to a report by Digital Luxury Group.

Kors' success is a result of smart marketing and reaching the right audience.

Michael Kors excelled in part because it targeted the market's sweet spot--people with money who aren't rich yet.

But there's even more to the retailer's success, according to the report.

Michael Kors became the most searched-for brand on the internet because it released a lower-priced diffusion line that appealed to an even wider range of consumers.

The line, MICHAEL Michael Kors, offers cheaper products with a similar aesthetic to the designer's namesake brand.

While searches for the diffusion line weren't used in Digital's report, the less expensive items increased awareness about the Michael Kors brand, leading to searches for the real deal.

The brand's popularity in America also contributed to its success abroad.

Michael Kors is also one of the hottest brands in Brazil and China. These emerging markets have growing middle classes who want to emulate the fashions they see in America.

Here's a chart showing which of the brands' products consumers were searching for:

And here's a chart showing how successful Kors is in China: