The day to day work routine has drastically changed for most Americans. With a limited workforce going into the office and face to face meetings shifting to an online format, the American wardrobe has shifted and changed as well.
In recent years, the workplace wardrobe has started to embrace casual dress codes. In many industries and companies, blue jeans have grown to be more acceptable. In fact, Goldman Sachs announced last year that they would be relaxing their dress code. Now that we are 8 months into the pandemic, remote workers have experienced the luxury of ditching their normal work attire for more casual, virtual conference call appropriate attire (AKA: athleisure wear). Will “suiting down” continue to be the new normal for employees post-pandemic?
In July, CNN reported that office clothing is canceled and named 3 (of many) prominent retail groups that are in trouble due to the plummeted demand for office attire. Athleisure (clothing that blurs the line between gym clothes and everyday clothes) companies, however, have seen dramatic increases in sales in recent quarters. Lululemon reported an increase of 2% ($903 million in sales) in Q3 2020 compared to the previous year and Athleta saw a 6% increase in sales.
During the pandemic, employers have been more accepting of casual attire. As the workforce begins re-entry, it will be important to reconsider the dress code policies. This will be a great opportunity for employers to understand why they implemented that dress code in the first place and to figure out whether - and to what extent - to modify.
