Will the pandemic permanently change how we dress?
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If you’ve been working from home for the last year, you probably spent more time in sweatpants than ever before. And many of us now own a colorful assortment of face masks for when we venture out.
COVID-19 walloped the fashion industry. Big brands filed for bankruptcy, and shoppers increasingly turned to online outlets for the clothing they bought.
It’s also changing the way we dress.
Without the usual work life and social swirl, more of us are shopping for comfort. Athleisure and loungewear seem here to stay, at least for a while. Cheap and disposable clothes are still the norm, but an interest in environmental sustainability took on a new twist as people stuck at home realized they could get by with far fewer clothes in their closet. And, in a year of social unrest, some people want the brands they buy to reflect their social concerns.
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MPR News host Angela Davis talks to a clothing designer and a professor of apparel about these trends and whether they’re here to stay.
Guests:
Houston White is the owner of the Houston White Apparel fashion brand and Houston White Men’s Room, a barber shop and gathering space in north Minneapolis.
Anupama Pasricha is an associate professor of fashion design and merchandising at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
Use the audio player above to listen to the program.
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