Japan-based creative agency Whatever teamed up with designer Akihiko Kimura to release WFH Jammies: with a button-down shirt up top — that looks formal and appropriate on work video calls — and comfortable sweatshirt material down below. Created in response to the global rise in remote work, the pajamas are available in three colorways and retail from JPY 9,000 (USD 85) for just the top to JPY 12,000 (USD 112) for the full outfit. The Kickstarter campaign for the unisex, “half business, half relaxation” pajamas is set to end this month and ship globally in June.
Even after your chuckling at the WFH Jammies dies down...don’t dismiss these outfits. Silly as they are, the sweatsuits really do exemplify how brands can adapt to meet our rapidly changing lifestyle needs. They speak not only to our global office-to-remote-work switcheroo, but also to the attempts we’re making to appease the sweatpants haters we work with and our own desires to stay comfy.
Also, note that many of the product innovations being announced are rooted in our newest urgent needs: to stay clean and physical contact-free. COVID-19 has inspired antibacterial key fobs, protective (yet chic!) travel jumpsuits, even a homemade social distancing laser hat...we could go on and on. So the WFH Jammies, which instead serve our needs as we increasingly work remotely, are a notable departure. They serve as a reminder that your organization doesn’t have to ride the hygiene train to be impactful. You also don’t have to necessarily reimagine what the entire post-COVID world will look like. Think about what behaviors and already-existing human needs and desires we have, that are just more relevant now (like remote working, which was on the rise even pre-COVID). How could you redesign, or simply tweak, your offerings in response?
Stay healthy,
The TrendWatching content team
