It’s probably safe to say that you’ve been wearing sweatpants, leggings, or even pajamas a lot more often than usual recently. Maybe you’ve even customized your own facemask to wear outdoors. For many people, the statewide lockdown orders have had an influence on how we dress and how we think about clothing. And the way we dress is closely related to our lifestyle choices. As COVID19 changes day-to-day life for millions of people, it might also be set to alter the clothing choices we make.
In fact, over the centuries, the biggest shifts in fashion trends haven’t come from runways but have rather followed events that have disrupted society on a huge scale, such as wars. The effect of these events has an impact on the economy, supply chains, social behavior, and daily life, often speeding up and normalizing changes that were already underway.
Dressing Down
The current coronavirus crisis means that many of us get to wear comfortable clothing throughout the day while working from home. This new surge in remote working might lead to even more dressing-down in the workforce once people are able to go back to the office. And it’s nothing new; social standards have loosened over the past few years and comfort and leisure clothing has become more of a priority for fashion shoppers. Hoodies and leggings have become everyday fashion and have even made their way into the office in some industries. And with online sales of tracksuits and sweatpants currently booming, fashion experts believe that the current situation is likely to prolong the strength of athleisure.
Online Shopping
As clothing stores shut down and more people turn to e-Commerce in order to get their retail therapy, the coronavirus crisis is not only set to impact what we wear but how we get it. In the future, it’s expected that those people who are shopping online more often than ever before nowadays are going to continue that behavior, and we’ll see the recent uptick in online shopping continue. On the other hand, others can’t wait for the retail stores to be open again and there’s likely to be a huge boom in people going out for the shopping trips that they once took for granted once the situation has passed and the lockdown orders are lifted.
Dressing Up
While working from home for months might normalize the idea of dressing down in many offices around the country once the crisis is over, there’s also expected to be a boom in sales of ‘going out’ clothes and people dressing up once they have the chance to do so again. After months of living in sweatpants and tracksuits, it makes sense that people are going to revel in the chance to get dressed up and enjoy a night out once the bars and clubs reopen again, and there’s expected to be a boom in the sales of party dresses, heels, suits, and other event-style clothing.
Safety First
Finally, the coronavirus crisis is going to forever change the way we think about protecting our health and keeping germs at bay. After the crisis, there may be an increase in hand-washing stations and the use of hand sanitizing gel in public places like supermarkets. And, it’s also expected to change the way we think about clothing. Many people might go on to wear face masks in public for a long time after the coronavirus crisis has passed, as face masks have never been more important as people realize their use for combating the spread of germs.
From dressing for comfort to clothing designed for safety, the coronavirus crisis is expected to have a big impact on fashion.
