Market Overview

Business workwear suit is a set of clothes made of synthetic materials with advanced features, which makes the suits highly stretchable, wrinkle resistant, and washable. Designed less casual than ‘business casual’ attires, the workwear suits look more like formal suits; and therefore, they are used as an alternative to the off-the-rack suits made of wool.  
A primary target of the business workwear suits is chiefly businesspersons in charge of technical jobs, including IT engineers, as well as various kinds of engineers and delivery drivers. Demand for the business workwear suits is growing among men and women at technical jobs in charge of light-duty work, who wish to stay well-groomed at customers’ end during their business trip or temporary transfer. The domestic business workwear suits retail market is valued at 6,100 million yen for 2020, 152.5% of the previous year.
In March 2018, OASYS style wear Inc. launched the “WORK WEAR SUIT®”. Formerly known as a waterworks provider, the company developed a business suit that can be used as a workwear, which is now produced on a commercial basis. Considering the fact that the workwear suits become yet another option for off-the-rack suits in addition to the business casual outfits, a type of clothes that were seen as an only alternative till then, the market of ‘formal-ish’ business workwear suits made of synthetic materials with advanced features is formed in 2018. 

Noteworthy Topics

Channel Trends of Business Workwear Suits

There are two types of channels for the business workwear suits: B2B and B2C.
At stores in suburbs and other men’s clothing specialty stores, the business workwear suits are mostly sold to individual customers. In B2C market, primarily business suits made of materials with advanced features were in demand among businesspersons commuting to work by bicycle. As the COVID-19 calamity brought about an increase of people not using public transportation, i.e. people such as bike commuters, there is a growing need for business workwear suits.
Companies in B2B business are mostly manufacturers of working uniforms. The working uniform makers had been using product catalogue to pitch comfortable workwear suits made of synthetic materials to taxi and bus drivers. In a similar manner, the makers are using the product catalogue as a marketing collateral to stimulate demands among other industries. 
There is a growing trend that B2B uniform makers create workwear suits for consumers, while B2C men’s clothing specialty stores enhance B2B commerce through reinforcement of sales and product planning. As market visibility of business workwear suits increases, new business opportunities may be discovered in various occupations and school uniforms. 

Future Outlook

Under the current circumstances, demand for business casual outfits and business workwear suits is cannibalizing demand for existing off-the-rack suits made of wool. From 2021 and beyond, it is assumed that the workwear suits business gains momentum in both B2B companies and B2C companies.
The business workwear suits are not as easy as business casual wardrobe to mix and match. However, considering the rise of B2B demand and increase of a sartorial double standard in the workplace that requires both ‘formal-ish’ workwear suits as well as business casual outfits, the retail market of business workwear suits is projected to grow to 21,000 million yen by 2025. 

Research Outline