Clothing manufacturers are worried that the influx of Zoom and Skype meetings will soon mean the end of the pants industry.
Due to the recent states of emergency declared across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people are now working from home.
It’s been a bit of a joke for folks who are used to working from home, but pants, specifically dress pants are not necessary for skype calls.
Many people will begin dressing in a business shirt and home-pants.
Jenny Edwin, Professor of Fashion History at the University of Western Ontario, says that more people will start dressing in home clothes as the world stays home.
“The tradition of wearing dress clothes on stream will likely fade as the isolation continues,” said Edwin.
For a number of years, people have questioned the logic of uncomfortable clothes at work.
“What we can be sure of is that, when you’re online, the only thing that matters is your top,” says Derrik Richards from Tip Top Tailors, “We might be seeing the ruination of the shoe industry if this continues for longer than a month or two.”
Richards is “working from home” right now via his fashion advisory account on Twitch. Even though his store is closed, he’s taking advantage of the situation to advise people on the most fashionable tops that look good on Skype, Zoom, or any other streaming service.
Experts say they expect that a bailout at the end of the pandemic may re-energize Big Pants, but for now, the pants industry may never recover.