Five Global Retailers Share What’s Selling Online From Sweatpants to Wedding Dresses

"Like most people, Ssense customers are understandably gravitating toward the comfort of loungewear, but our aesthetic is much more elevated-casual, not sloppy," says Brigitte Chartrand, the vice president of womenswear buying for Ssense. "Activewear, lingerie, and swimwear are all selling well right now."

Ssense's vice president of menswear buying, Federico Barassi, echoes this: "As more people are working from home, comfortable attire has been top of mind for our customers. Loungewear and footwear are our best-selling categories right now. T-shirts, joggers, sneakers, and slides are outperforming all other categories at the moment, and we've also seen an increase in eyewear purchases."

To meet customer interest, the Canadian retailer has introduced a number of exclusive collections tailor-made for this stay-at-home moment. "Shoppers come to Ssense for a refined offering of luxury and elevated loungewear, so going into this season many of our exclusive womenswear capsule collections were catering to this demand," Chartrand notes, citing an exclusive Jacquemus capsule collection as a particularly well-timed collaboration. A terry cloth Gil Rodriguez capsule is likewise doing well, as are buzzy items with a lounge-y feel, like Ssense's exclusive Off-White Nike sneakers. "Overall, brands that are offering elevated loungewear, like Sporty & Rich, are on fire."

Celenie Seidel, a senior editor at Farfetch, reports that "there has absolutely been more of an appetite for loungewear and activewear, speaking to the obvious collective shift in lifestyle." But that lifestyle shift doesn't stop at socks and slippers. "Our homewares category has been receiving a lot of love—never have homes known so many candles," Seidel continues. "People seem to be transferring the self-expression they once realized through clothes to the way they're dressing their surrounding environment." Moda Operandi also reported an uptick in homeware buys, with sales for home goods up 80% from this time last year.

MatchesFashion.com's fashion buying director Natalie Kingham says sales of "cult collector" investment items are up too. That includes "considered purchases which will last through the seasons ahead, from handbags by Loewe and Saint Laurent to fine jewelry and watches from Shay, Lizzie Mandler, Jacquie Aiche, and La Californienne."

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