The economic ripple effects of the Covid pandemic stretch far and wide

My colleague Hamish McRae's well-written thoughts on what lies ahead for the global economy made me think about some of the smaller changes we are seeing/may yet see as we move back to some form of normality in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Something that caught my eye was the news that Marks & Spencer no longer sells men's suits at more than half of its 254 bigger stores. Wes Taylor, director of menswear at M&S, told The Sunday Times that "Covid hit fast forward on the trend to more casual dressing that was already in train".

M&S has said that in the first two months of the Covid pandemic it sold 7,500 suits – a fall of 80 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence about people moving away from formal wear as they work from home. We have certainly had plenty of letters over the last 18 months about people saying they feel more comfortable ditching the conventional dress code. And a few bemoaning the change.

As well as the clothes we wear, Covid has always pushed a debate on how we work to the front of many minds – how we construct our workday and yes, working from home. I'm fascinated by the ripple effects of such big changes.

There are those who will still appreciate putting on a suit, or more formal attire for work and indeed a big social event – M&S has said that suit sales have rebounded somewhat now that restrictions have been eased and weddings can take place. But I know plenty of people for whom a suit jacket was already too much, even before the pandemic.

I'd be interested in getting the thoughts of readers on the topic – is the suit and tie or very formal attire in the office in general (rather than smart) on the way out?

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Editor. Voices