The Pandemic Is Creating a Reckoning for Jeans

必备单品要落单？疫情期间牛仔裤销量骤减

 

As many continue to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic, jeans are probably not their first choice for a day’s outfit.

 

新冠疫情期间，随着许多人继续居家隔离，牛仔裤恐怕不是他们每日着装的首选。

 

Many people are opting for clothing that’s both functional and comfortable – maybe a blazer or blouse on top and pajama pants or leggings on bottom – so that they can both look presentable on work video calls and be comfortable while at home.

 

许多人都选择实用又舒适的衣服——上半身穿轻便短上衣或衬衫，下半身穿睡裤或打底裤——这样既能在工作视频会议上看起来体面，在家里又感觉舒适。

 

Some are choosing convenience above anything else.

 

有些人则最看重方便。

 

“Prior to COVID, even, those who said that they were working from home were buying the same piece of clothing for work, workout and weekend,” Maria Rugolo, apparel industry analyst at The NPD Group, told Business Insider.

 

市场研究机构NPD集团的服装业分析师玛利亚·鲁格洛告诉商业内幕网说：“在新冠疫情暴发前，那些自称在家工作的人为工作、锻炼和周末采购的服装都是同样的衣服。”

 

It’s hard to work out in jeans, so where does denim fit into that equation?

 

穿牛仔裤不好锻炼，那么牛仔裤该置于何地呢？

 

Jeans sales are seeing sharp declines along with the rest of the apparel market, according to The NPD Group’s Maria Rugolo. Denim will have to adapt to fit the current needs.

 

NPD集团的玛利亚·鲁格洛称，和服装市场的其他服饰一样，牛仔裤的销量骤减。牛仔裤必须改变以适应当前的需求。

 

“Jeans have the opportunity to play up the comfort factor, to play up the stretch that they have,” Rugolo said. “These are the things that we’re going to see help the category.”

 

“牛仔裤有机会提高舒适度，加大布料弹性。”鲁格洛说，“我们认为这么做可以有助于增加牛仔裤的销量。”

 

Several denim-focused retailers – True Religion, Lucky Brand, and G-Star Raw – have already filed for bankruptcy since the pandemic began. Prolonged store closures and a shift towards casual clothing proved damaging for retailers primarily selling jeans.

 

自从疫情暴发以来，真实信仰、幸运牌和G-Star Raw等多家主打牛仔裤的零售企业均已申请破产。长时间关闭门店和向休闲服饰风格的转变已被证实对主营牛仔裤的零售商造成了损害。

 

It’s a poor turn of events for a category that has seen its ups and downs over the years, but that was seeing some growth before the pandemic. Jeans, especially low-priced denim and jeans for men, were doing pretty well in recent years.

 

对于多年来经历过起起落落的牛仔裤来说，这一事态不妙，然而就在疫情暴发前，牛仔裤的销量还出现了增长。牛仔裤，尤其是低价丹宁布牛仔裤和男士牛仔裤，近年来卖得相当不错。

 

Ayako Homma, consultant at Euromonitor International, said this growth was largely due to changing standards around what clothing could be considered office-appropriate.

 

欧睿国际信息咨询公司的本间绫子称，这一增长很大程度上要归因于办公室得体服饰标准的改变。

 

“As dress codes throughout the country became increasingly casual, US consumers have increased the usage occasions for jeans,” Homma said in emailed comments.

 

本间在电子邮件中评论道：“随着全美着装规范变得越来越休闲，美国消费者穿牛仔裤的场合也增多了。”

 

“Also, with athleisure solidified in the US market, consumers who had purchased sufficient athletic bottoms over the last few years returned to economy and standard jeans, as fabric and fit innovation helped to make these products attractive for casualwear.”

 

“此外，随着运动休闲风在美国市场站稳脚跟，过去几年买够了运动裤的消费者开始重新购买实惠的普通牛仔裤，牛仔裤的布料和剪裁创新也增加了产品作为休闲服饰的吸引力。”

 

But even though the pandemic has complicated this trend, Rugolo said that it may be too early to call this the death of jeans. Apparel as a whole is seeing large sales declines, while jeans that are meant for outdoors work are actually bucking the trend and showing some growth.

 

鲁格洛说，尽管疫情让时尚潮流变得复杂，但现在唱衰牛仔裤也许还为时过早。服饰总体上的销量都在大幅下滑，而专为户外活动设计的牛仔裤的销量实际上还在逆势增长。

 

“Jeans are never going to go away. They’ve been a staple for over a hundred years,” Rugolo said. “It’s definitely something to learn from the pandemic as far as how to adapt to these elements of comfort that consumers are looking for.”

 

“牛仔裤永远不会过时。一百多年来它们一直都是必备单品。”鲁格洛说，“但是如何去适应消费者寻求的舒适元素，这是绝对要从这次疫情中学习的。”

 

Plus, at a certain point, people might get tired of wearing leggings and pajamas all the time.

 

而且，未来的某一天，人们可能会厌烦老是穿打底裤和睡衣的。

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