Since the lockdown a month ago, online demand for loungewear - defined as a hybrid between pyjamas and tracksuits - has soared 322% in the UK, according to LoveTheSales.com, a shopping website that aggregates sale items from 850 retailers. Online fashion retailer Boohoo says that sales in April are higher than a year ago. "People aren't really buying going-out items, but they are buying homewear - hoodies, joggers, tracksuit bottoms," the firm said. Many retailers such as Asos and Missguided are now advertising comfort wear instead of spring dresses. For struggling retailers, dressing down is a welcome trend, with loungewear one of the few categories currently growing. This time last year, people spent just over £1bn on clothes for parties and socialising and a further £855m on gear for their holidays, according to market researcher Kantar.

But now that many in Britain are adjusting to working in more relaxed attire, will it be tough to transition back to traditional work clothing? Or were we already heading that way? Tamara Sender Ceron, senior fashion analyst at Mintel, says: "Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, we had already seen that loungewear and nightwear had benefitted from a shift towards more flexible working over the last two years." Indeed, it is now common, for example, to see men not wearing ties in the office and sporting more casual suits.

full article: 'I returned my suits and spent £100 on joggers'

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