I'm a Celebrity Personal Shopper—These Are the Most In-Demand Brands of 2022

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No item is too hard to hunt down for Gabriel Waller, the in-demand personal shopper who celebs such as Hailey Bieber, Khloé Kardashian, and Lori Harvey have on speed dial to source impossible-to-find fashion pieces. The Prada skort that's going viral? Waller and her team will secure it in the specific shade of green that's sold out everywhere. The Celine coat you regret not buying a few seasons back? She'll track it down, just like she did for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Waller's expertise in sourcing cult fashion items draws celebs and fashion insiders alike, who are on the hunt for items that are sold out, difficult to find, or from a past season and didn't make it into their cart the first time around. Different than your typical shopping experience, most of the business takes place through DMs on the Instagram account @gabwallerdotcom, where 90% of requests are made. "The clients know exactly what they're looking for," Waller tells Who What Wear. "They've either seen it—perhaps in a magazine or online somewhere. They've seen it on their favorite influencer or celebrity, and they're unable to locate it themselves. They send it into us, and essentially from there, we begin the hunt."

Curious to find out more about the requests currently landing in her DMs, we asked Waller to share the designers and items that are buzzing right now. Ahead, Waller weighs in about the five most in-demand brands of 2022 and the pieces everyone is trying to get their hands on. While you might not be able to add every cult buy to your cart right now, you know who to DM if you want to track down the exact piece you're eyeing.

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Waller's key buy: Prada raffia bags

When it comes to brands that everyone wants, Prada immediately lands on Waller's list. "I think Prada caters to such a wide range of clients," she says. Curious to know the It buy of the season, we asked her to share. "I would definitely say the Prada raffia bags," she explains. "They launched last year, but the demand they continue to have is crazy. They actually just launched this limited-edition green colorway."

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Waller's key buy: Saint Laurent crystal-embellished boots

Waller credits Saint Laurent's statement pieces as some of the most requested from the brand. "They've got a few. There's a particular feather dress," she explains before mentioning the brand's trending shoes. "I'm not sure if you saw the crystal­-embellished boots that they did?" 

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(Image credit: @handinfire@leiasfez@leiasfez)

Waller's key buy: Hermès Oran Sandals

There is no denying the popularity of Hermès, and Waller backs that up with an interesting takeaway about what is most in-demand. "It is more their footwear as opposed to any other category, just based off the requests that I've received," Waller says, naming the brand's Oran Sandals as the piece to own in 2022—especially in the new colorways.

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Waller's key buy: Miu Miu pleated miniskirt

Requests about Miu Miu have been flooding Waller's DMs. "I'm sure this comes as no surprise," Waller explains, noting the brand's viral status on social media. "The Miu Miu collection and that skirt I'm sure you've seen flooding your Instagram feed. So that's been a key piece that we've seen a lot of requests on."

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(Image credit: @emilisindlev@jen_wonders)

Waller's key buy: Chanel Heart Bag

Waller is betting on Chanel's S/S 22 collection. "I can absolutely guarantee that is going to be one of the most­-requested collections that I believe we've ever had," she explains. "It has a lot of vintage references, so when it launched on the runway, the amount of requests that we received—be it a pre-order or anyone trying to get their hands on these pieces—went crazy. So immediately, I knew that, when the collection launched, it was going to be one of our most­-requested collections to date."

Next up: The Spring 2022 Shopping Guide: Where to Buy the 9 Biggest Trends of the Season

Associate Director, Special Projects

Kristen Nichols is the Associate Director, Special Projects at Who What Wear with over a decade of experience in fashion, editorial, and publishing. She oversees luxury content and wedding features, and covers fashion within the luxury market, runway reporting, shopping features, trends, and interviews with leading industry experts. She also contributes to podcast recordings, social media, and branded content initiatives. Kristen has worked with brands including Prada, Chanel, MyTheresa, and Luisa Via Roma, and rising designers such as Refine and Tove, and her style has been featured in publications including Vogue.com, Vogue France, WWD, and the CFDA. Before Who What Wear, Kristen began her career at Rodarte, where she worked on assistant styling, photo shoots, and runway shows, and at Allure, where she moved into print and digital editorial. She graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied art history and business, and currently lives in New York.