Loungewear and casual fashion are essentials in our shopping baskets, revealed the Office for National Statistics

While our high-street non-essential stores remain closed at least until April 12th, British citizens are taking to heart the “work from home” and “staying safe at home” mandate and do most of their shopping online.  

But what clothing and products we need and want to help us through this pandemic period has changed over the past year.

Luxe loungewear from
London designer Maria Grachvogel's 
Continuum 2021 collection.

It is not surprising to learn that among our everyday essentials during these challenging times are loungewear and casual clothes, along with hand sanitizer, smart watches and hand-weights for working out while gyms are closed.

These trendy products and others are now being used to calculate the cost of living in the UK, according to an annual review by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS said it has added men's loungewear bottoms and women's sweatshirts to the basket of more than 700 goods, which is used to calculate inflation, to reflect a move towards more casual clothing.

"This is especially relevant as the coronavirus lockdowns appear to have accelerated this trend and retailers are increasingly labelling clothing items as loungewear," said Sam Beckett, ONS’ head of economic statistics when speaking to the BBC.

Retailers including M&S have recently reported a boost in sales because of pandemic fashionistas buying comfy joggers and hoodies, and brands such as Reiss are incorporating more casual clothing in their latest Spring/Summer 2021 offering to ride the casual fashion trend.

"Clothing brands want to provide people with the flexibility to wear their ranges out and at home thanks to the prevalence of Covid lockdowns."

Modern staples from Reiss for Spring/Summer 2021.
Photo from Reiss website.

Some 180,000 prices are measured across thousands of UK outlets to calculate inflation, which is used as a benchmark for our finances. 

The basket of goods also includes less obvious choices such as hybrid and electric cars and WiFi lightbulbs, reflecting contemporary habits and technology to work out the inflation rate and chart the changing cost of living.  The ONS also aims to ensure that each sector of goods and services, and where items are bought, are reflected adequately in the calculations.

According to LovetheSales, a popular online shopping site, loungewear, athleisure and comfortable clothing will continue to be popular in 2021.   LovetheSales co-founder Stuart McClure said recently the unpredictable landscape of 2020 made it incredibly difficult for retailers to sell-through new-season stock. 2021 will see a continued fluctuation of shopping habits. 

He added that retailers have reacted quickly to the new fashion landscape and are merging loungewear products into new Spring/Summer 2021 lines, while designers are now matching overcoats with joggers and hoodies, as comfy clothing is incorporated into trending outfits. "Clothing brands want to provide people with the flexibility to wear their ranges out and at home thanks to the prevalence of Covid lockdowns," according to McClure in an interview with Fashion Network.