Marks & Spencer’s knitted fabric suits indicate that a more relaxed business style may continue to exist
The high street store is preparing to continue working from home by producing “work from home” packages.
Since February, searches for formal wear at Marks and Spencer have increased by 42%. The company has launched a casual suit made of stretch jersey, paired with a formal jacket with soft shoulders and is actually sportswear. The “smart” trousers of the trousers.
Karen Hall, Head of Menswear Design at M&S, said: “Customers are looking for a mix of items that can be worn in the office and provide the comfort and relaxed style they are used to at work.”
It was reported last month that two Japanese companies had released their WFH clothing version: “pajama suits.” The upper part of the suit produced by What Inc looks like a refreshing white shirt, while the lower part looks like a jogger. This is an extreme version of where the tailor is heading: digitalloft.co.uk reports that since March last year, the term “home wear” has been searched for 96,600 times on the Internet. But until now, the question of what the British version will look like has remained.
“As more leisurely tailoring methods become the’new smart’, we hope to see softer and more casual fabrics bring more relaxed styles,” Hall explained. Other brands such as Hugo Boss have seen changes in customer needs. “Leisure is becoming more and more important,” said Ingo Wilts, chief brand officer of Hugo Boss. He mentioned the increase in sales of hoodies, jogging pants and T-shirts (Harris also stated that sales of M&S polo shirts “increased by more than a third” in the last week of February). To this end, Hugo Boss and Russell Athletic, a sportswear brand, have produced a high-end version of the Marks & Spencer suit: tall jogging pants that double as suit pants and a soft suit jacket with trousers. “We are combining the best of both worlds,” he said.
Although we were brought here to work from home, the seeds of the hybrid set were planted before Covid-19. Christopher Bastin, Gant’s creative director, said: “Before the pandemic, silhouettes and shapes had been heavily influenced by streetwear and the 1980s, giving (suits) a more relaxed and relaxed atmosphere.” Wilts agreed: “Even before the pandemic, our collections have actually transformed into more and more casual styles, usually combined with tailor-made items.”
But others, such as Saville Street tailor Richard James, who designed clothes for Prince William, believe that there is still a market for traditional suits. “A lot of our customers are looking forward to putting on their suits again,” said founder Sean Dixon. “This is a response to wearing the same clothes every day for several months. I have heard from many of our customers that when they are dressed appropriately, they perform much better in the business world.”
Nevertheless, when we think about the future of work and life, the question remains: Is anyone wearing a normal suit now? “Count how much I have worn in the past year?” Bastin said. “The answer is definitely no.”
Post time: Jun-03-2021