Page 76 - TEXtalks International May/June 2022
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76                                                               by iTextiles (Pvt) Ltd.                                    people who spent time working from home wearing   Rise of Dopamine Dressing                        77


         Articles             Post Covid                                                                                           casual attire as they spent 8 hours changed the   To offset the adverse effects of 2022, dopamine
                                                                                                                                                                                    dressing has transpired for consumers to boost their
                                                                                                                                   perspective of not just the employees but also the
                                                                                                                                                                                    moods through fashion. Endorphin-inducing colors
                                                                                                                                   employer of the company since then many
                                                                                                                                   businesses have changed their dress code from
                                                                                                                                                                                    (yellow, orange, green, pink, red & blue), summer
                    Fashion Trend                                                                                                  like Apple, Google, & Quicken Loans have casual   injected into retailers’ upbeat assortments,
                                                                                                                                   traditional office wear to casual. Today, major players
                                                                                                                                                                                    camp jewelry, and psychedelic 70s prints are being
                                                                                                                                   dress codes. That's trickling into traditional
                                                                                                                                                                                    resonating with Gen Z’s affinity with nostalgia and
                                                                                                                                   companies too as JP Morgan, IBM, BlackRock,
                                                                                                                                   Goldman Sachs, and General Electric have recently
                                                                                                                                   relaxed their dress code restrictions, as Silicon Valley
                                                                                                                                   culture has gone mainstream and relaxed dress
                                                                                                                                   codes are a way to attract millennial top talent. Now
                                                                                                                                   the main question comes: Do casual clothes lead to
                                                                                                                                   a casual attitude, and in turn, less productivity? If
                                                                                                                                   you’re always dressed in “play mode,” is it harder to
                                                                                                                                   be focused, alert and productive? Not. Adam Glinsky,
                                                                                                                                   a professor at the Columbia Business School found
                                                                                                                                   that clothing does, indeed, affect performance to a                                                                                                             fashion is the customer atop of other competition or   University. “If you are wearing a mask to protect
                       iTextiles  ®                                                                                                certain extent. Why? It’s what Glinksy calls “enclothed                                                                                                         environmental activists. Eco-friendly and sustainable   yourself from others, you are forming a habit of fear.
                                                                                                                                   cognition” clothing influencing performance, if you
                                                                                                                                   feel confident in the attire you are wearing, you’re likely                                                                                                     fashion is the focus of every fashion designer. No   Every time you put a mask on, every time you see
                                                                                                                                   to try harder and perform better at a specific task.  experimentation. Keep these bold hues and fun                                                             doubt non-sustainable fashion will still be in demand   someone else wearing one, you will reinforce this
                                                                                                                                                                                    patterns in mind for summer designers showcased                                                                but would become critical for brands to fulfill   fear. “But if you are wearing the mask to protect
                                                                                                                                   Comfortable Wear is the New Norm                 joyous colors and optimistic themes on the Fall 2022                                                           audience needs. Garments and accessories that can   others, wearing it will create a feeling of connection to
                                                                                                                                   The "Netflix & Chill" concept is making people care   runways confirming their longevity in the cooler                                                          be reused in a different number of ways without   those in your community,” she says. “You’ll see
                                                                                                                                   less about the fear of missing out and more about the   months. The loungewear hype may be slowing down                                                         missing fashion trends will be in demand in the   others wearing masks as a sartorial sign that they are
                                                                                                                                   joy of missing out. In a lockdown, people had    amid these new trends. However, consumers will still                                                           post-COVID era.                                   willing to sacrifice some freedom and comfort for the
                                                                                                                                   rediscovered the joy of staying inside, this period has   be vying for aspects of comfort in their wardrobes,                                                                                                     common good.
                                                                                                                                   given rise to a new apparel category: i.e., loungewear   buoyed by the Gen Z consumer, the softcore                                                             Masks Becoming a New Way to Express Ourselves
                                                                                                                                   which can be worn outdoors as well as indoors,   subculture perfectly meshes dopamine dressing with                                                             Fashion always finds a way. Human beings are      There are masks for every taste and budget. Some
                                                                                                                                   becoming a better choice for the environment by   coziness to carry sweats into the post-pandemic age.                                                          undaunted in their search for ways to stand out,   are printed with Edvard Munch-like open-mouthed
                                                                                                                                   producing minimum waste.                         With the seasonal and cross-category appeal, it's a                                                            communicate, to thrive in a treacherous environment.   screams, goth masks mimic skeletal jaws. Disney is
                                                                                                                                                                                    risk-free investment as softcore is a bonafide trend in                                                        And so, the face mask once purely functional, once   offering a preorder on four packs of masks featuring
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   perceived as an exotic accessory has evolved at
                                                                                                                                                                                    home and streetwear. Tactile fabrications are key                                                              breakneck speed into something more.              its signature characters. High-end versions are
                                                                                                                                                                                    think terry toweling and teddy textures in pastel and                                                                                                            constructed from fine Italian fabrics that really should
                                                                                                                                                                                    neutral hues across knitwear & outerwear.                                                                                                                        be hand-washed rather than thrown into the Maytag,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   It’s more essential because the Centers for Disease   others are covered in sequins.
                                                                                                                                                                                    Sustainability a New Emerging Trend                                                                            Control and Prevention has recommended that
            As we emerge from our time of isolation, it’s clear as   silhouettes, after such a bewildering rollercoaster, it                                                        The Fashion industry has accelerated its commitment                                                            people wear a mask when interacting with others. It’s   Some masks look to be so dense that they’d impede
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   more aesthetically pleasing but also a more
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     breathing; nonetheless, they’re stunning. Gamers’
            water that we have all been changed by the        seems like everyone wants to dress happy, take up                                                                     toward environmental sustainability, especially related                                                        complicated cultural proposition. As the countries   leading lifestyle brand Razer has designed a face
            pandemic and our clothing is yet another reminder of   space, and present themselves as their true selves.                                                              to the elimination of hazardous chemicals, the                                                                 around the world move toward reopening, masks are   mask under “Project Hazel” which consists of N95
            that unintended and undeniable transformation. The                                                                                                                      reduction of CO2 emissions, and, also in the                                                                   assuredly part of our future. And in some ways, their   medical-grade respirator protection innovated using
            feeling of having old clothes feel at once too    Traditional Work Wear Transcending to Causal                                                                          adoption of circular economy practices. This                                                                   evolution is the perfect encapsulation of how much   detachable and rechargeable active ventilators,
            restrictive and too drab, too cumbersome, too     Throughout history, big global events like war,                                                                       pandemic reveals the vulnerability of global supply                                                            life has changed in a blink of an eye and how     smart pods that regulate airflow for optimal
            inconvenient, too not-me or the casual feeling of “I’m   disease, depression, and revolution have directly                                                              chains as countries restricted international trade,                                                            challenging, both intellectually and emotionally, it will   breathability and can filter at least 95 percent of
            different now makes sense that my clothing should   impacted what we wear. “The periods of greatest                                                                     supply chain logistics were disrupted, and orders                                                              be for us to go forward.                          airborne particles and highly resist fluid. The
            be too”. This feeling is not unique, anecdotally, most   shifts in fashion are in line with great shifts in society,”   The next normal saw all kinds of sartorial revolutions   were canceled due to sudden diminishing orders.                                                                                                         transparent device allows to see facial cues such as
            of the people affected by the pandemic have       Dasher noted. Some of those moments are easy to                      and disruptions from Hollywood celebrities attending   The new business framework compelled the whole                                                           “The question about face masks is how will they   a smile or laugh and the interior neon light can
            expressed a similar dilemma, peek at the internet   pinpoint: the glitz of the Roaring '20s after emerging             award galas in their PJs, to people ditching high   industry to review its strategies and plans. According                                                      morally change us? To some extent the answer      automatically activate in the dark plus the built-in
            and you’ll find countless strangers confused about   from World War I and the Spanish flu; pants for                   heels and women giving up wearing makeup. The    to States of Fashion 2022, today’s consumers are                                                               depends on our motivation for wearing them,” says   microphone and amplifier enhances the user’s
            how to dress for their return to in-person work, if you   women after the factory fashions of World War II. Now        relationship one had with one’s wardrobe         more inclined toward sustainable fashion products                                                              Liz Bucar, a professor of religion at Northeastern   speech for clear communication.
            go out on the town you would feel the vibrancy is on   casual sneakers on top of chinos with a shirt are               transformed completely. Staying at home, meant   and after COVID the consumer is opting for more
            parade. With bright colors, florals, prints, and big   considered wearable attire in an office. Most of the            looking for comfort and more importantly, that’s easy   sustainable fashion than in the past. According to
                                                                                                                                   to wash, iron, and get work ready.               research, the principal factor of sustainability in
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