If you didn’t buy any new clothes during the pandemic, you’re far from alone. In the UK, clothing sales plummeted 25% in 2020, the largest annual drop since record-keeping began 23 years ago. Particularly hard hit was the business-fashion sector, as workers swapped offices for their homes, in-person meetings for Zoom – and downgraded their outfits accordingly. It’s abundantly clear that the pandemic has accelerated a long-standing discussion around whether business attire is still relevant. Post-pandemic sales in the work-fashion industry probably won’t be helped by the fact that many companies plan to embrace a hybrid future – with staff doing some days at home and some in the office. Such a transition will have implications; staff will need fewer office clothes, of course, but more importantly, it would indicate a significant shift in employer thinking.
