Last year, a lot of people got a lot of things wrong about how the pandemic was going to change our lives. Neither the cities died nor the people have stopped celebrating their birthdays at the risk of getting infected. But few forecasts for 2020 failed as spectacularly as the claim that as the world reopened, we would return to it in sweatpants. We did it? Over the past year, our habits and lifestyles have changed, as has our wardrobe.
The return to the office that never arrives and the return to parties has changed fashion: it has become more relaxed in the workplace and, at the same time, more festive to go out. Comfort is still king, but styles are exciting again. People don’t care about everything.
How did we get here. If any single event crystallized this whole phenomenon, it was that Entireworld brand announcement that it was closing. The company had been a 2020 favorite, its cotton staples sitting at the fortuitous intersection of “pretty enough to Zoom” and “cozy enough to work, sleep and play from bed for a year.” Meanwhile, it posted a 662% increase in sales.
“Sweatpants have supplanted blue jeans,” declared GQ last year. The New York Times did the same thing a few months later in its article titled “Sweatpants Forever.”
The case of Hugo Boss. Last fall, Hugo Boss said goodbye to the suit. The brand built to sell Wall Street apparel is now trying to reinvent itself for the age of remote work. To give you an idea: At fashion week, the German brand ditched its jackets and pants in favor of a baseball-themed show, complete with high-waisted sweatpants and a beanie.
There were also ultra-breathable suits, suitable for both dinner parties and the office, and sporty pieces reminiscent of ’90s streetwear with a sophisticated twist. The shocking ad campaigns featured model Hailey Bieber, rapper Future, K-pop stars and TikTok influencers. Yes, Hugo Boss is trying to reformulate itself. It wants to be as cool as the brands that appear on the market today. It’s easy to understand why: The company had a 33% drop in sales at the start of the pandemic.
Suits fell out of favor. Victims of a long-standing trend, the informalization that accelerated during the pandemic, with its long periods of teleworking from home, gave the traditional dress the finishing touch. Even giants like Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve Bank adjusted or abandoned their formal dress codes. Cult brands like Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God and Aimé Leon Dore, with their refined take on streetwear, began to gain not only buzz but also critical market share.
Reinvent yourself for Gen Z. The one who has the power to change everything is, in the end, Instagram and TikTok. The new vision of Hugo Boss, for example, attends to the creation of two different lines aimed at different audiences. “Hugo” is a new streetwear-leaning option for Gen Z replete with bucket hats, baggy jeans and logo accessories. “Boss” is a line of minimal, smart and casual looks aimed at the millennial generation that includes earth tone hoodies, bulky coats and chinos.
Brands have studied how to make their suits more attractive to the public. “We want to be the first suit that a millennial or Gen Z customer buys,” said a Hugo Boss official in this report by The New York Times. They are even hiring teenagers to work as consultants and help out with photo shoots.
Of a lonely style. For many, the isolation of the early days of the pandemic meant there was no reason to dress up. Wearing sweatpants every day of 2020 became the norm, and articles abounded about how the pandemic had ruined style. But that solitude is what has helped some people break free of the noise that once influenced their style decisions.
Dressing up during the pandemic was also a form of control, and doing so made people feel better. We had fewer options for where we could go and travel was much more limited.
To dress for the camera. For some, it was as simple as simplifying their style. But beware, because some felt more visible than ever, instead of phone calls, people suddenly wanted to meet on Zoom. Instagram stories multiplied. The colors began to be much more vivid (with their infinite filters) to make it appear that life was once again what it was. Everything was changing, or so we hoped.
and we went back out. And when 2021 brought with it the reopening of the world, there was a style sensibility that seemed to defy the pragmatism of the pandemic. From Instagram to the streets of the neighborhood, people dressed again. Different. Bold looks, from platform Crocs to shoulder pads. It seems so, the sweatpants seemed destined for a mere supporting role. Or not. That Hugo Boss has made them his routine clothing line is already a sign that something has changed.
It’s funny and ironic that the founder of Commonwealth Proper, a menswear brand, said two years ago, “As long as lawyers are lawyers, there will be trials.” And therefore suits. But we all know that the day we get married in tracksuits is closer than ever.