With hoodies on the runway and leggings in the office, it’s clear that casual apparel has been embraced in every corner of fashion and all walks of life. “Shift is the right way to put it,” says Vicki Ostrom, a futurist and trend analyst with Top 40 supplier SanMar (asi/84863). “We’ve been inching toward this ever since we started understanding that exercise apparel is comfortable to wear all day long, every day.”

When once this type of apparel was very sport-centric in color and design, Ostrom points out today’s pieces come in styles and colors that can be worn to work or going out. “They’re much more lifestyle-friendly pieces – to the point where if you go by the windows in a mall, you can’t tell if you’re going by a Banana Republic or an Athleta. It’s all lifestyle because we’re really wanting what we put on in the morning to be what we wear all through the day.”

Casual apparel and the promotional products industry are a perfect match, and distributors can definitely seize the opportunity. So how did casual apparel become synonymous with fashion? What are some hallmark pieces of the look that can be worn in the office or on the go? And what big trends should people look for in 2023? In this Promo Insiders episode, Ostrom joins Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mittica and Executive Editor Theresa Hegel – who wrote a recent feature article on the rise of casual style – to explain why comfort and polish don’t have to be mutually exclusive.