The future remains uncertain as the coronavirus continues to spread. It has seriously impacted the service sector, including retailers and restaurants, and the fashion industry is no exception. Online shops have replaced brick and mortar stores, and it has become the most common way people are purchasing clothes. I have a hunch this will be commonplace for apparel businesses, even after the pandemic.
As more people are working from home, they are now realizing how bizarre it is to get onto packed trains that barely allows anyone to move, or to walk busy streets where people are stepping on each other's heels.
As part of the work style reform that was endorsed by the government on April 1 of last year, the pillar is promoting the idea that more businesses allow their employees to work remotely. It is expected that the current situation may push businesses nationwide to do just that.
What that now means for employees is having to create their own work-from-home "look" or "style."
If your job allows you to mostly work alone in your room, it doesn't really matter what you look like, however, those jobs are few and far between. Most people have to hold online meetings or take part in video conferences.
Online videoconferencing software Zoom provides a great service for such an occasion.
When using Zoom, for better or for worse, you cannot help but pay attention to how you look on camera. You might not realize this, but many people work really hard to make themselves look decent during a video conference. For example, if they see that they have a double chin, they may stack a few books on their desk so their camera will capture a better angle. Others may move closer to a window to allow more natural light to hit their face. Some hate to show a blank wall behind them, so they may put up bookshelves filled with old, but interesting-looking books behind them.
Fashion magazines struggling to find a topic to write about, jumped on Zoom-friendly fashion, calling it "Okomori (stay-at-home) fashion," "remote wear" or "telework fashion."
However, this is not a new concept in women's fashion. Gelato Pique, a major brand of Mash Holdings Co., has been promoting fashionable loungewear for about the past 10 years.
Loungewear was not taken seriously in men's fashion, but things are starting to change. Online media sources have probably been more eager to promote the new style than print media because most of these purchases will be made online.
With this in mind, I looked at Men's Non-no Web, the online version of Men's Non-no, a major men's fashion magazine published by Shueisha Inc. The online version features articles about discovering "stay-at-home" fashion and introduces Armani Exchange's new "sweatwear" and gives readers tips on finding the balance between putting too much and too little effort into their stay-at-home look.
Apparently, it's common knowledge that you should never wear a collared shirt and jacket at home, so there is a tacit understanding among readers and editors that showing up to a Zoom meeting wearing that combination is a fashion faux pas. Instead, sweatsuits and hoodies are the main pieces of any stay-at-home look.
Uniqlo may be exclusively dominating men's loungewear. Men's Non-No Web advises readers when selecting items from the brand's vast inventory. The magazine suggests not choosing patterned or elaborately designed clothes, but instead, go for the all-black sweatsuit when looking for an at-home outfit.
It's not just for online meetings that you have to think about your Zoom-friendly attire. For online drinking parties, you can't just wear any random piece of clothing you find. The online magazine showed a funny photo of a model seemingly passed out after an online drinking party, wearing Diesel clothes and holding a fanny pack and backpack.
I guess it can be pretty challenging to find comfortable loungewear that also looks good on Zoom.
Miura is the editorial adviser of WWD Japan.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
