IS THE SUIT LOSING ITS POSITION IN TODAY’S FASHION INDUSTRY?

The suit has been prominent in the fashion industry for as long as I can remember. It was and has always been the embodiment of power and class. Depending on the design, the material used, where it’s made, and who made it, a suit can catapult someone to statuses unfathomable.

Well, I must not say that the matching shirt and shoes worn matter a lot in ensuring that the aura of the suit is attained and maintained. Generally, though, a suit has been the corporate and respectable charm for the serious class of men.

Things have changed however in the recent past. Using my example can help illustrate how fashion is rapidly changing. In 2012, I had 3 full suits and a half dozen coats. I felt that the world expected me to wear a suit on certain occasions as a man.

Being official was quite the fashion trend of the day if someone needed to be taken seriously. 10 years later, I cannot say that I have a suit and with the COVID pandemic, I am slowly drifting towards casual wear which I find very nice and comfortable nowadays.

People only wear suits these days only if they are in trouble. The era of working from home made some people realize how awesome it was to wear shorts and then a relatively presentable top and that was it.

Others realised that it was just fine not to put on the coat and life went on well. Organizations are resuming normality today and fewer and fewer people are going back to the suit era for them to be respected and taken seriously as the notion has always been.

In other instances, you could show up in a suit and be taken as a conman. So, if you walk into a company looking to speak to the CEO, don’t be quick to judge people depending on what they will be wearing. The chap you will find wearing sneakers and a denim shirt could be the CEO.

Expecting that the standard age attire of a suit as the reserve of the corporate world still holds faith could end up misleading you. Times have changed, and the pandemic even accelerated the loosing of the sleek suit as the clothes of the office guys.

Suit makers have reportedly said that suit sales during the peak of the pandemic and post the peak period, such as today, have reduced significantly. This is true given the fact that it is something we are directly contributing to.

Post covid, let us not expect the suit to occupy its position as the symbol of power as it did in ages gone by. It would have lost and dropped a few slots down the line. Truly, the suit will continue to have a special place in our hearts and we will have to wear it every often or once in a while, but then not in the manner we used to take it in times past.

So, is the suit losing its position in today’s fashion industry? Yes, it is. Whether the rate of losing that position is fast or slow is relative. But the fact is that the cards are switching positions away from their favour.

Let me grab my jacket, t-shirt, and khaki trousers and head out for my Monday errands.