In an online survey, the Japanese clothing company Uniqlo asked German consumers how fashion can help to reduce stress. Because as a “second skin”, fashion has an important influence on how we feel. What is more important to Germans: style or comfort?
The main thing is comfortable
In general, fashion in Germany has to be comfortable above all. For 44 percent of those surveyed, the most important thing is that their clothing is comfortable and practical. They therefore prefer clothes that they can wear well in everyday life and that do not feel restrictive. The preferred style matches this: the majority of respondents (56 percent) describe their clothing style as sporty or casual. 37 percent, on the other hand, prefer a timeless or classic style. For 29 percent of those surveyed, restraint is more important – they dress more discreetly and inconspicuously.
For 26 percent of those surveyed, however, it is more important that their clothing is an expression of their personality. They want to emphasize their individuality with their style and stand out from others.
Basically, the higher the age, the more important the comfort of clothing becomes. While only 29 percent of the younger generation (Gen Z) consider comfort to be an important factor, this proportion rises to 54 percent for 55 to 65-year-olds.
But what do people find comfortable, which fabrics and fibers do they prefer to wear? Almost half of respondents (46 percent) said they don’t care about the type of fiber. At least 44 percent prefer natural fibers with a natural function, with the proportion of women in this group being slightly higher than that of men. Age also plays a role, with older people having a higher interest in natural fibers than young people.
Stress influences clothing choices and vice versa
Stress has become an everyday phenomenon; 44 percent of those surveyed in this study stated that they often felt stressed in everyday life. After all, 41 percent of those surveyed also agreed that stress has an impact on their clothing. For example, women – and young women in particular – dress differently when they are stressed, which is not as common among men (47 percent of women versus 36 percent of men). When respondents are stressed, most wear a comfortable outfit (37 percent), followed by a feel-good outfit (25 percent) and an outfit that suits the weather (23 percent). If the clothes don’t match their personal style, around 27 percent of those surveyed feel (very) stressed.
However, when feeling stressed, most Germans tend to choose muted and neutral colors to calm down. Black is the favorite at 57 percent, followed by shades of gray (37 percent) and blue (36 percent).
If you feel like you don’t have anything suitable to wear, that’s also a stress factor. 59 percent of Germans sometimes have the feeling that their closet is empty. Women are particularly affected, as 72 percent of them sometimes feel this way, while only 45 percent of men do. For 31 percent of those surveyed, it is even very stressful when they see that they have nothing to wear. For this reason, 14 percent of them have bought clothes to consciously reduce their stress.
With the survey, which Uniqlo conducted together with the market research institute Appinio, the company wants to show that clothing plays an important role in reducing the feeling of stress. To achieve this, comfortable clothing, muted and neutral colors are helpful.