Jeans the order of the day for office workers, says Kontoor
Remote-working office staff expect ‘business attire’ will be more relaxed when offices return, according to a survey commissioned by denim group Kontoor Brands.
The owner of Wrangler and Lee said more people will wear jeans and even jogging pants, when they go back in to the office.
In the survey of 1,006, the majority (84%) said a wardrobe refresh is in order. On average, these consumers plan to spend $445 on new clothes. More than 8 in 10 (82%) indicated they’ll buy new jeans in the next 12 months, many of whom plan to wear jeans more frequently when they return to the office.
Respondents said their current jeans were old or worn-out (45%), no longer fit (32%) or felt buying new jeans would brighten their mood (34%).
Scott Baxter, CEO of Kontoor Brands, said: “With the trends and expectations we’re seeing, employers should consider rewriting the ‘business-casual’ definition.
“What the survey findings suggest is employees prefer their clothing to provide a seamless transition between their evolving professional and personal roles.”
The survey found office workers would wear jeans for a night out with friends (73%), a concert or live performance (70%) or date night (63%). Surprisingly, a third said they plan to wear jeans to more formal events, such as weddings (31%).
Kontoor Brands commissioned KRC Research to run the survey of adults in the US who are currently employed and worked in an office setting prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (prior to March 2020).
Image: Wrangler
