AS the pandemic has upended our lives and necessitated remote working for millions, fashion has been impacted - perhaps permanently - and sales of activewear and loungewear are now soaring in a trend that is expected to continue, along with ‘above the keyboard’ dressing.

 

Shirts, ties and formalwear…

…have been largely consigned to the back of the wardrobe without a need to smarten up for an office environment, sparking a global shift toward loungewear and activewear that - in a period of tumult for retailers overall - has been an area of soaring sales.

 

The market is booming?

According to the NPD - a global body that measures how consumers shop across all channels, from on the internet to in-store - online sales of activewear accounted for 40 per cent of all sales in 2020; a new high. And according to research data from analytics firm Comprar Acciones, the activewear market was estimated to be worth $353.45 billion in 2020 and is projected to hit $439.17 billion by 2026.

 

Retailers are responding?

Some of the high street’s biggest names are reacting to the shift to home working and the need for less formal attire, including Marks & Spencer. The retail giant is to expand its womenswear activewear range Goodmove this year to include both childrenswear and menswear, increasing its focus on more casual, comfortable clothing. M&S found that more than half (52%) of its customers have been wearing activewear more and more as everyday clothing during the pandemic, with 24% citing its suitability for everyday use as one of the main reasons they buy it.

 

Fitter?

Of those surveyed, 80% of M&S customers also said they want to get fitter in 2021. Jill Stanton, the firm’s womenswear and childrenswear director, said: “2020 cemented activewear as a staple in our wardrobes—we’ve worn it not just to workout but to work as well.”

 

Next?

High street staple, Next, has brought Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis OBE on board for a range of activewear clothes to meet demand. The Denise Lewis Edit is on sale now, offering a “functional and stylish” range engineered for “the gym of life”.

 

We now want more relaxed jeans?

The annual trends report from online retailer Asos said its key finding was that its consumers were looking for comfort. During lockdown, Asos revealed that for the first time in years, its relaxed jeans overtook sales of skinny jeans, up 222% year-on-year, while it sold more than 100,000 pairs of loose fitting, high-waisted ‘dad jeans’. Asos also sold more than 1.5 million T-shirts and 760,000 tracksuits.

 

“Above the keyboard dressing”?

In a trend kick-started by the Zoom calls of 2020, “above the keyboard” style became a trend, combining relaxed out-of-shot activewear and loungewear with in-view tops, necklaces, chains and earrings to make a statement on screen. Asos reported it sold more than two million units of hats, chains and earrings.