The Duchess of Cambridge and the Olympics helped London to win the title of Global Fashion Capital. File picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire

London has been crowned the Top Global Fashion Capital, beating cities including Paris and New York.

The Top Fifty Fashion Capitals list saw London place at the top for the second year in a row. Its success, according to the list’s compilers, was largely down to the Duchess of Cambridge and the London 2012 Games.

New York came second, with Barcelona in third, Paris, which came top in the haute couture category, fourth and Madrid fifth. Other cities in the top 10 were Rome, Sao Paulo, Milano, Los Angeles and Berlin.

The list was compiled by Global Langauge Monitor, which monitors cultural trends in language the world over. The annual Fashion Capital list is compiled by analysing the Internet, blogosphere and top print and eletronic global media, as well as other sources.

Bekka Payack, Manhattan-based fashion director of GLM, said: “London’s two-year run has been has been propelled by two rather extraordinary circumstances: the emergence of the former Kate Middleton as a top fashion icon and the recent completion of what have been hailed as an extremely successful Summer Olympics.

“In recognition of the significance and growth of regional capitals with their distinctive styles and contributions to the fashion industry, GLM expanded the list to some fifty-five cities on five continents.”