Over the last month many of us have been adapting to staying at home, stripping back anything that isn’t essential and re-connecting with our basic needs and values. There is a heightened awareness and concern for health, comfort and cash flow as well as our individual impact on the communities and world around us. The benefits of a simpler and considered life are becoming clearer and the importance of conscious, functional and trusted services and products paramount.

With more time to pay attention to brands and a desire for a meaningful experience and impact, a brand’s ethics and vision and a product’s performance have become just as important as aesthetics and cost. Consumers are looking for quality, comfort and long-lasting garments from brands they can rely on and the benefits of slow, considered and authentic design and manufacturing are being celebrated.

Brands that are best positioned to do well in this space are the ones with a clear, honest and simple message, removing any confusion or unnecessary complexity of design, sourcing, systems or marketing. Brands that build products based on integrity, craftsmanship and care and offer solutions whilst being transparent with their processes will come out on top.

Contemporary underwear brand NUDEA, who champion ‘expertly crafted design for everyday performance and comfort with no overhyped technology and no shortcuts’, have reported a 60% increase in sales compared to February of this year.

As designers and innovators, we are reminded that all products and constructs, even those that appear complex, are made up of a number of simple elements, all of which the wearer will experience on some level. Whether it be stitch tension, wire strength, softness of handle or precision of fit, by being mindful of each separate part, component and process and explicit in it's purpose we can create and restore genuine value into our garments and the wearer's experience.