Trading Jeans for Sweatpants
How loungewear has risen to the top of the fashion industry amidst COVID-19
—By Jonathan Kaner
A year ago, Addie would’ve woken up early in order to go through her closet and select her favorite clothes to wear to class. Whether it was jeans, a nice shirt, or designer shoes, getting dressed up was something that brought pleasure and excitement to her regular day.
Fast forward a year later and classes, among many other activities, remain virtual. Due to the nature of the remote setting we find ourselves in, there has been a major shift away from nicer clothes in favor of loungewear and other at-home accessories. This transition in consumer behavior has forced brands to quickly adapt in order to keep up with the demand for these items. Now, Addie gets up 10 minutes before class and throws on her jogger sweatpants, oversized hoodie, and grabs her blue light glasses to start her day.
How it happened
It’s difficult to pin down a point when the pandemic went full-swing in the U.S. However, it is not as difficult to see the effects it has had to the clothing industry. “The retailers that saw that early and were able to start to supply yoga pants and sweatpants were winning and those that were asleep at the switch missed out on the trends,” Ron Offir, a Managing Director at Deloitte Digital and father of Michigan graduate Jacob Offir ’20, said. “Those who had systems and were nimble and interested enough to listen and be attuned to consumer purchase patterns in terms of products and ways of purchasing with these omnichannel tools were the guys that did super well during the pandemic online.”.
In April, clothing sales fell 79% in the United States, the largest fall in recorded history. However, during this surge, purchases of sweatpants were up 80%. “There was no need or drive to go online and shop for nicer clothes at the time,” Addie Bassock ’22 said. “I found myself only looking for sweatsuits and other cute clothes that I could stay at home in.”
This isn’t the first time a sweatpants trend has sparked. In 2002, Juicy Couture’s signature $200 velour tracksuits in bright pink lit up the streets. Celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Jennifer Lopez were seen wearing the sweatpants, influencing youth around the world to splurge on expensive loungewear. “We used to wear Juicy sweatsuits when we were younger,” Ava Lotsoff ’22 said. “They were really the first company to create high-end loungewear and there was nothing else like it.”
Today, the sweatpants craze has not died, but actually grown stronger due to the pandemic. Every clothing brand, no matter the customer segments or brand image, is releasing sweatpants in hopes of capturing the ever growing market for loungewear. Priced as low as $19 from Old Navy to $698 from John Elliott, there is no doubt that every brand is trying to get a piece of the pie, and going about it in different ways.
Additionally, many accessories have come afloat due to the pandemic – the most popular being the blue light glasses. These glasses, made now by all glasses retailers and Amazon sellers, are becoming the hottest trend among young consumers. Blue light glasses are regular-looking glasses that claim to filter out the harmful blue light that our screens emit. The blue light can cause headaches and trouble sleeping if exposed to in large amounts. However, many doubt that blue light glasses are actually effective in reducing eye strain, as studied by Mark Rosenfield, a vision researcher at the SUNY College of Optometry. Nonetheless, the glasses have sold like crazy in the last year; companies such as Zenni and The Book Club reported their sales of blue light glasses increased from 60-120% during 2020, according to WebMD.
Sweatpants find their way to Ann Arbor
While many students came back to campus this year, classes have remained mostly virtual. This transition back to campus has had little effect on day-to-day clothing selection, according to Lotsoff. “Coming back to campus didn’t change much,” she said. “I still wear my sweats all day during classes and can see myself doing that for the rest of the year.”
Lotsoff isn’t the only one keeping this trend going. Sam Reyzelman ’22 has had very similar shopping behavior during the pandemic. “Not only have I just been getting loungewear, but all the gifts I’ve been getting have been as well,” he said. “There’s no point in buying nice clothes for myself or anyone else right now. People are really valuing sweats and aren’t wearing anything else.”
Students are not just buying loungewear for comfort. Brands are releasing sweatpants, hoodies, crewnecks, shorts, and tees in high quality materials. For example, clothing brands have been using materials such as French Terry Cotton and other unique fabrics such as cashmere and wool to deliver quality products. “It’s one thing to have comfortable clothing, but it’s another thing to have comfortable clothing that looks and feels really nice,” Bassock said.
Not only are students wearing their sweats in Zoom class, but around campus as well. All around Ann Arbor, students can be seen in loungewear from brands such as Madhappy, Aviator Nation, and Pangaia. These brands are making strides in the industry, proving that loungewear is not just for at home; it can be seen now as a fashion statement, and their price tags back that up.
Michigan grads monetizing the trend
Madhappy and Gracious MFG were founded by Michigan Graduates Peiman Raf and Harry Epstein, respectively. The two brands have been blowing up due to the pandemic as Gen Y and Gen Z people have been going crazy for these top-quality loungewear products.
Madhappy, a brand out of Los Angeles, California, writes that they are “on a mission to make the world a more optimistic place.” This mission has proven very successful as their social media following has more than doubled during the pandemic and caught the attention of many Michigan students.
“[Madhappy] releases new products almost every week it feels like,” Lotsoff said. “As someone who has followed them for a few years, it’s really interesting to see the growth they’ve had in the last year.” Lotsoff also commented on the quality of their products, stating that their cuts and features are unmatched by any other brand in the industry through unique designs and materials.
The brand prides itself on using the best materials and styles available. Their hoodies, made of 100% French Terry cotton, prove to be comfortable, practical, and stylish. “Brands like Madhappy are turning sweatshirts into fashion pieces,” Reyzelman said. “They’re really comfortable and look good – I don’t know what else I could ask for.”
Charging $155 for their hoodie and $135, Madhappy is one brand that is blurring the line between loungewear and fashion, and the credit is to Michigan graduate Peiman Raf with help from the pandemic.
Looking Forward
It doesn’t seem like the craze for loungewear is going to slow down, and may in fact continue to speed up. As more brands try to hop on the train, consumers will have plenty of options at different price points for fashionable and comfortable sweats.
As far as the retail industry goes, the brands that continue to be customer-centric will be the winners. Offir goes as far as saying digital retailers must personalize customer shopping experiences as much as possible to win. “I think we’re going to see before the end of the decade digital sales reach 50% penetration,” he said. “Everybody aspires now to figure out how to move up the segmentation or personalization curve, and so it’s becoming the growing expectation that the digital touchpoints the digital sites that I go on are going to be personalized.”
In looking at the clothing industry, these winning brands in the pandemic that began selling loungewear and at-home accessories worked in a customer-centric mindset. To win in the future, they will continue to use this mindset while adopting the digital tools to succeed.
However, the question remains whether loungewear will sit atop the clothing industry once in-person school and work come back. “Who knows what the future holds,” Reyzelman said. “We obviously won’t be able to wear sweats everyday anymore, but I know that won’t stop me from continuing to value and buy loungewear.”
Featured image: Aviator Nation is among the top brands selling loungewear (Photo Credit: Aviator Nation Internal, Flicker).