Is Lounge wear Going to be a Mainstream Trend in 2020?
In the past month or so, our generation has seen quite a shift in lifestyle choices. Just as fashion was returning to more classical notions of dressing up, the world was hit by the Coronavirus. The increased e-commerce sales of loungewear are helping to partially avoid the economic devastation of the fashion industry.
Since the outbreak out COVID-19 and more and more people working from home, loungewear sales have been soaring high. We are seeing suits and dresses taking a back seat and loungewear at the forefront as consumers seek ways to feel better in their work-from-home uniforms during the pandemic. Trend forecasters are predicting a rise in loungewear and intimate categories for the next 18 months. This is a great time for loungewear brands to market their products as the demand is high and is going to continue to be high in the coming future as comfort continues to be the backbone of these categories. And the current circumstances have seen a surge in interest in certain categories like activewear, loungewear, and lingerie as people adapt to their new routine of staying at home.
According to a tracking firm, Edited – sell-through rates of tracksuits are up 36% this year through March, compared with the same period in 2019.
Process, a US-based activewear brand that fashioned bodysuits, ballet leggings and knitted sweats are seeing a huge demand for their products. Before the breakout of Coronavirus, about 60% of their business came via wholesale. But with their stores being closed and key stockists like Net-a-Porter not shipping products due to the shipping limitations, the brand’s own website is experiencing an influx of sales. The brand has also noticed an increased return on digital marketing, leading to an increase in social media engagement as well. Since the brand owns its supply chain and operates its own factory and warehouse, it makes it easier to meet the surge in online orders.
Big brands like Lululemon and Nike are also performing better than most apparel and clothing brands. Despite the global pandemic, Nike’s sales increased by 7% in the last quarter. Nike has a huge amount of customers in China as well.
On the other hand, Lululemon is another popular activewear brand that had to close stores across Europe and North America. But, amid this chaos, the brand has seen accelerated growth in fashion e-commerce. Lululemon is cutting back on non-essential expenses to adjust marketing spend and is also using their stores to ship out online orders.
Shoppers are looking for comfort and practicality and whats better than loungewear or activewear to keep them comfortable yet not feeling sluggish at home.
H&M, another popular fast-fashion brand closed all retail stores worldwide due to retail consumer behavior in Coronavirus. The Swedish retailer’s share price fell more than 11 percent this past few weeks and confirmed that sales had been affected due to the outbreak. But on the contrary, H&M is collaborating with luxury London-based luxury pajama brand Desmond & Dempsey and is all set to launch ready to wear easy breezy summer apparel on 23rd April. The collection is splashed across easy-to-wear summer separates that look comfy enough to wear while staying at home and the best part is that they double as daywear as well.
While loungewear and activewear brands may be grateful that they’re not entirely irrelevant at the moment, there are significant challenges to address during the current situation. But nevertheless, many loungewear brands have the advantage of being digitally native during these tough times. Their focus on social media marketing and online sales will serve them well in a crisis that has forced most stores to close.
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