Is the coronavirus pandemic causing us to become an athleisure society? We asked local fashion experts and brands

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Since the pandemic began, the business world went from button-down shirts and slacks at the office to t-shirts and sweatpants at home. Will more comfortable clothes become the new normal, even after the pandemic ends?

“I think people have definitely been more casual than they normally would be,” says William Perrine, Fashion Design & Merchandising senior lecturer at the Kent State School of Fashion.

Athleisure — hybrid clothing with influences stemming from yoga, streetwear, hip hop music and more –was originally meant for athletic activities but has grown in popularity for everyday wear.

Perrine says the pandemic has essentially affected the supply chain for fashion retailers. Many struggled to stay open as consumers made the move to online shopping.

“If we are all on video calls basically, you could have shorts on and then put a nice top on and nobody’s gonna know the difference,” says Perrine.

Perrine says he hasn’t seen much change in his students’ fashion choices; many continue to wear oversized tops and sweatshirts with leggings. The biggest change has been for professionals.

“For professionals, people who normally get dressed up to go to work are definitely much more casual I think,” says Perrine. “It’s a reset of the entire globe basically, especially fashion.”

Trista Bowser, a junior fashion design & merchandising student at Kent State, says she has felt the urge to wear more comfortable clothes since the start of the pandemic.

“Especially since everything is online through Zoom, I know for a lot of my professors we don’t have to show our faces (which is kinda nice), which means I don’t have the urge to dress up like I usually would for class,” Bowser wrote in an email.

Tyler Givens, owner of Menace Denim, a Cleveland-based streetwear brand, says the pandemic has actually pushed fashion brands to new heights.

“Although the pandemic is absolutely chaotic and disruptive to the world as we know it as well as societal norms, I believe it has pushed everyone in the fashion industry to new creative heights,” says Givens. “Because so many of us are working from home we’re able to pay way more attention to the things that make us happy, stimulate our minds, and are satisfying, which is why it is so important for creatives to push boundaries and take risks so as not to be easily forgotten.”

Givens says it’s important that brand owners remember why they started and should focus on putting in and maintaining effort with designing, marketing, creating content for customers.

Givens believes fashion will continue to thrive throughout this pandemic. She says although we are becoming an athleisure society, certain things, like the perfect denim are fashion staples.

“We as a society love to be comfortable no matter the occasion or the product but the level of leisurewear is dependent on the person,” says Givens. “Fashion will always be a way to connect and a form of self-expression, and because of that, I feel that so much greatness will actually come from pandemic fashion designs, trends, and topics.”

Antonie Williams, owner of UNMASTRD clothing, an urban Cleveland fashion brand, said although athleisure is becoming more popular, it has always been embedded in hip hop and Black culture.

Financially, Williams says being an independent brand owner in a pandemic definitely has its challenges. “I still have been coming out of pocket for all expenses as far as inventory, marketing, and shipping,” says Williams.

Williams believes fashion just like art will continue to change like it always has even throughout this pandemic.

“I don’t even want to limit it to just fashion. Art itself is always going to change throughout life regardless of the pandemic. Fashion-wise I feel like there hasn’t been much of a change besides more companies are growing dramatically on a weekly basis,” says Williams.