Will the dressing make a comeback?
At the recent Future of Style event, apparel, footwear and beauty analysts from The NPD group answered a crucial question in the minds of many retailers and brands: Will consumers ever re-dress? While the majority of consumers stayed indoors in 2020, many categories of beauty products, footwear and clothing struggled, with sales falling by more than $ 56 billion year-on-year. the other. And while sweatpants and t-shirts arent going anywhere anytime soon, one indicator people are releasing more is a pickup in sales of supportive dresses and clothing. The week before Easter, according to NPDs weekly retail data, unit sales of womens dresses were up 50% from the same week in 2019. This tells us that she was ready to go out and about. see her family for the holidays, and she wanted to wear something new, said Kristen Classi-Zummo, clothing analyst for NPD. Shapewear has also seen an increase in sales since late February, but innovation in the category will be significant going forward. Shapewear will always be in womens closets, but the ability of brands to innovate and adapt to their new wardrobe will be crucial for the category, added Classi-Zummo. Its going to be about incorporating more comfort into the category and offering less structured, more versatile options that smooth, refine and provide everyday fitness benefits.  This will be all the more important as consumers perception of clothing has changed since last year. As more people return to work and travel and other experiences intensify, the dressing will come back. However, we had become so used to being comfortable that the pendulum will not go back 100% the other way around. In fact, a third of consumers say dressing has become more casual for them than before the pandemic, according to an NPD and CivicScience survey. This could make room for more casual clothing categories, such as jeans and casual pants, especially as the growing trends in these categories for women are looser cuts. For womens denim in Q1 2021, high-waisted non-skinny fits only accounted for 15% of dollar sales, but accounted for more than half (53%) of dollars earned. Likewise, in the fashion footwear industry, consumers continue to look to the casual and comfort categories. Before the pandemic, dress shoes were on the decline, with dollar sales of dress shoes down 11% in 2019 from the previous year. As consumers return to activities and events, clothing categories will benefit, but styles like casual sandals and trendy sneakers are best positioned for a long-term recovery  these are the types of categories. that consumers chose for daily use before the pandemic. Brands and retailers should be prepared to capitalize on the momentum in dress shoes over the coming months, but its important not to overcorrect. Changes were happening in the market even before the pandemic, and the continued demand for casual and comfortable footwear is one that is likely to remain, said Beth Goldstein, footwear and accessories industry analyst at NPD. Beauty: masks stand out  As the world reopens and requirements for masks and other CDC guidelines change, consumers are increasingly comfortable enjoying social experiences. Early indicators in 2021 show signs of a noticeable recovery in the premium beauty industry, which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic as so many beauty products are linked to opportunities for social use. While eye products  a category unchecked by mask mandates  captured dollar shares in 2020, styling aids, hair tools, perfumes and contouring makeup all made sizable gains in the first. quarter of 2021. As restrictions continue to be lifted across the country and people feel more comfortable attending social gatherings, we are going to see a boost in prestige beauty, and in particular for makeup, said Larissa Jensen, VP and Beauty Industry Advisor for NPD. With consumers able to show their faces again, we anticipate a return to growth for products like lipsticks and lip glosses, as well as continued sales of highlighter and contouring makeup bronzers. . 