Scots designer McQueen on Cool Brands list

Alexander McQueen, who drew on his Scots heritage for many of his collections, is the only fashion designer to appear in the top twenty of this year's British "Cool Brands" list.

McQueen often drew on Scots heritage for his designs.

Tech brand Apple has topped the iconic list for the fifth year running, followed by Glastonbury and Netflix.

McQueen was ranked 13th, while Aston Martin and Nike made up the remainder of the top five. The designer, who was born in England, but often turned to his Scottish roots for inspiration, was found dead at his London home in 2010. His ashes were scattered at Kilmuir on the Isle of Skye.

Other new entries into the Top 20 included make up brand M.A.C and Harley Davidson and PlayStation, both of which re-entered the Top 20 after a five year absence.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Council, said : "While Apple is still perceived by influencers and the public alike to be the UK’s coolest brand, a concerted wave of fast-growing, entrepreneurial businesses are building momentum to seriously challenge its position.

"Disruptive brands like Netflix, Spotify, Instagram, Airbnb and GoPro (proving Apple no longer has a monopoly on cool tech) continue to boost their credentials, consolidating their positions by either moving further up the Top 20 or entering for the first time."

He added: "These rising stars have hit a sweet pot, retaining a positive reputation with influencers, while building their awareness and lustre among consumers. These challenger brands are utilising new technologies, new business models and new ways of thinking, while remaining accessible and useful; conversely many premium brands are falling, as evidenced by the significant drop in performance of the luxury fashion brands surveyed."

The result follows a poll of 2,500 British consumers and a panel of 36 "key influencers", including musicians DJ Fresh, Ella Eyre and Labrinth, MOBO Founder Kanya King, fashion designers Melissa Odabash and Amanda Wakeley, bloggers and national magazine editors.