The Future Of Workwear

The discussion about the future of the workwear-trend has begun to spread on the internet and, although reporting trends isn't the purpose of this site, I'd figure I'd give you my take on it as it's an interesting topic to discuss. I haven't fully embraced the whole workwear-style, but I have, like many others, enjoyed the comfortableness, durability and quality of many workwear-related pieces.

First of all I'd like to discuss the quality aspect of it. Reading what people says about this, it seems that they think that the workwear-trend is about quality over quantity, about craftmanship. Well, it is and it isn't. Craftmanship may often a big part of it, but workwear doesn't have monopoly on it. Just because we move on to something different doesn't mean that we have to, or will, set aside quality.

Fashion is just an expression of the human nature. We are, by nature, experimental and restless. When we've gotten tired of one thing we move on to the next. The globalization and the internet has only speed up the process. Today, things are on their way out, even before their in. But we are also nostalgic. We like to remember our past and think about how good things used to be. Therefore fashion is not only changeable, it's also cyclical. Trends get big, die away, and then come back a few years later. Maybe not exactly the same, often re-interpretated to better suit the new times, but they do come back. So even if this is goodbye to the workwear-trend for now, it will come back sooner or later. Take my word for it. But it is going away for a while.

A lot of you are probably thinking "I have my own sense of style. I'm not affected by trends. I wear what I wear because I like it, whether it's 'in' or not." The truth is that we ARE affected by what others think . Maybe not the fashion world as such, but we draw our inspiration and taste from somewhere, even if it's just from our closest friends. So let's face it, our preferences will change and we will start looking for new things. The only people who are likely to completely stick with the workwear are the ones who wore it long before it started getting the attention of the fashion-world, the ones who actually have practical use for it. As for the rest of us, if you live in a city there really isn't any practical sense to wearing it. It's purely aesthetic and therefore many will drop out when the trend becomes (even more) exploited and wide-spread than it is now. Others will drop out when they realise that most others have moved on and that the reason that they're alone wearing workwear is no longer because they're ahead of the curve, but behind it.

So finally to sum it up for you, here's my personal opinion, the short version, on the matter: Is workwear as a trend on the way out? Yes, probably. What will replace it? There's no way of knowing, only the future can tell. Will it come back? Sooner or later, definetely. So maybe it's time you put away those Red Wings in the closet, but you better make sure you know where to find them..