Every morning when Ariella Baron searched her closet for something to wear to work, she would mentally scroll through her schedule to calibrate her outfit to the tasks the day had in store for her.
But the manager at a Toronto accounting firm says getting dressed has become a whole lot simpler since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered offices to turn homes into makeshift workspaces.
After weeks of toiling away in T-shirts and leggings, 26-year-old Baron dreads the day she has to dust off her dress shirts and blouses for her commute B次元官网网址� but lately, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to imagine how she and her colleagues will get back to business as usual.
B次元官网网址淚 feel like people were starting to see it was unnecessary to always have to dress business casual. ItB次元官网网址檚 more about being comfortable,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淭his may be the thing that pushes it over the edge.B次元官网网址�
Baron is one of many erstwhile desk-dwellers who are trading in their slacks for sweatpants as the work-from-home era has loosened up corporate dress codes.
As employers in some regions gradually reopen offices, designers and trend-watchers say the clamour for professional clothing people can feel at home in could lead to a surge in B次元官网网址渨ork-leisureB次元官网网址� wear.
B次元官网网址淧eople are just as B次元官网网址� if not more B次元官网网址� productive when theyB次元官网网址檙e working at home and theyB次元官网网址檙e comfortable,B次元官网网址� said Vancouver designer Jess Sternberg.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no reason not to adapt some of those lifestyle changes to the new world that weB次元官网网址檙e going to be entering in the office.B次元官网网址�
The owner of Free Label said e-commerce sales have doubled as the sustainable clothing brandB次元官网网址檚 upscale basics have proven a perfect fit for professionals revamping their work wardrobes with pieces they can wear while lolling about in their living rooms or meeting with clients over video-chat.
Sammi Smith, founder and designer of Toronto-based Soft Focus, said online demand for her sleepwear-inspired silhouettes has soared during lockdown. The success is perhaps unsurprising given that the line began with SmithB次元官网网址檚 own transition from a corporate fashion job to starting her own venture from home.
Searching for styles suited to running a business from her couch, Smith set out to design clothing for women who want to B次元官网网址漰ower dress in pyjamas.B次元官网网址� Depending on how you style an outfit, Smith said a collared sleep shirt can become a breezy blouse, or a terry cloth sweatsuit can double as a cozy twist on the classic pantsuit.
B次元官网网址淚 sometimes joke that fancy pajamas are the uniform of the gig economy,B次元官网网址� said Smith. B次元官网网址淧erhaps theyB次元官网网址檒l also become the uniform of the new work-from-home protocol.B次元官网网址�
Big-name apparel brands also seem to have noticed that comfort never goes out of style.
Uniqlo Canada has seen a more than 200-per-cent surge in comfortable clothing sales, according marketing manager Sehee Kim. Top-sellers include work-home crossover fashions such as draped drawstring pants.
Lululemon Athletica has also expanded its selection of sweat-wicking work apparel as the Vancouver-based companyB次元官网网址檚 stock price reached all-time highs on the NASDAQ this month.
Retail analyst Bruce Winder said the rise of B次元官网网址渨ork-leisureB次元官网网址� is a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak industry landscape.
Statistics Canada reported that clothing and accessory sales were slashed by more than half in March B次元官网网址� the largest one-month drop on record B次元官网网址� and Winder said the forecast for April looks even grimmer.
Even as stores in some areas slowly start to welcome back customers, Winder said COVID-19 closures may be the death knell for B次元官网网址測esterdayB次元官网网址檚 brands,B次元官网网址� particularly those associated with buttoned-up office fashions.
For example, Reitmans is filing for creditor protection after an unsuccessful attempt to appeal to young career women saw its Smart Set banner shut down in 2014.
Carolyn Levy, president of technology for human resources consultancy Randstad Canada, said suit-and-tie attire fell out of fashion in most workplaces long ago. But as people settle into working in sweats, she predicts to see the push to relieve workers from the restrictions of gut-pinching waistbands will accelerate.
Even in the weeks since the pandemic upended professional life, Levy said early efforts to maintain decorum during Zoom conferences have given way to hoodies and baseball caps, and even people who seem put together on camera could be dressing down outside the frame.
While she doesnB次元官网网址檛 anticipate seeing bathrobes in the boardroom anytime soon, Levy suspects that the days of busting out of an itchy, ill-fitting suit when you walk through the door may very well be behind us.
B次元官网网址淚t will be about what are other fabrics you can wear that are comfortable and that still look presentable,B次元官网网址� said Levy. B次元官网网址淭hey have a casual flair to them, they let your personality show through, but you feel good.B次元官网网址�
Ben Barry, chair of the Ryerson School of Fashion, said traditional workwear is tailored to fit a white, western and masculine ideal of who looks B次元官网网址減rofessionalB次元官网网址� that excludes many types of bodies.
Now that COVID-19 has challenged deap-seated corporate conventions, Barry urged companies to take the opportunity to remove sartorial barriers so people of all sizes, abilities and genders can let their talent shine through their work and their wardrobe.
B次元官网网址淔inding that hybrid between workwear and leisurewear is going to open up access to so many more people to feel at home in their bodies,B次元官网网址� said Barry.
B次元官网网址淚 think that ultimately leads to feeling more connected to where we work, a heightened sense of creativity and more people being able to bring their whole selves to work.B次元官网网址�
Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press
