Lately, many major companies are rolling out requirements for employees to start coming into the office, which many employees aren't too thrilled about. A major point of contention? What we have to wear.  

Many Americans working from home have traded in pencil skirts and blazers for the casual comforts of home or maybe a nice shirt for zoom, but casual shorts.  

But the truth is, this isn't a new development thanks to the pandemic. U.S. revenue for men's suits declined from $2.2 billion in 2013 to $1.9 billion in 2018. And to look even further back, an estimate in 1948 from a clothing manufacturers association put that revenue at $12.5 billion with inflation. 

The pandemic may have accelerated the trend, but the decline in formalwear has been going on for decades now.  

In the mid-20th century, formalwear was not just an office staple. For both men and women, suits and hats were the standard for everyday activities: from shopping for groceries to going to the movies to watching sports games.  

But major fashion trends in the '60s and '70s opened the door for more variety within formalwear, especially as new styles were being seen on television.  

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Colorful power suits and trousers were in, and outfits that could be worn both to the office and after-work drinks were seen as more practical and fashionable. It was what Esquire Magazine called "the rise of loose-collar culture." 

Soon, the rise of casual wear would become unstoppable, thanks to the khaki pants and button-down collared shirts in Silicon Valley.  

The '80s and '90s saw the invention and rise of "business casual," what this 1995 article from the Chicago Tribune declared was a "confusing" new world. Silicon Valley has already embraced a culture of rule-breaking, creativity, and risk over conformity.  

The rise of "athleisure" clothes during the past decades, like yoga pants and workout sneakers, coincided with this. By the time we reached the 2000s, formalwear was confined to only certain industries, and outside the office could be seen mostly during special occasions like weddings.  

Though it's worth noting, not even traditional industries might be so strict on the suit much longer! In 2019, Goldman Sachs relaxed their dress code to "business casual."

Some fashion experts have noted that the cultural implications of formalwear have been transferred to some areas of casual dress.  

Being able to work remotely and thus dress casually is more common in white-collar industries. One could argue there's a new flex of status with high-end athleisure brands like Lululemon, or streetwear from luxury brands like Gucci.  

Changes in culture shape our changes in fashion, and we can trace those changes through our decline in formalwear.  

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DENVER, Colo. — The local craft beer scene and farm-to-table movement have shifted a focus on where our food comes from, and the trend is far from over. We're now seeing that same concept make sweeps in the fashion industry.

Behind every piece of clothing is at least one artist and an art form, that in many cases, has been replaced by fast fashion.

"You know your grandma probably knows how to sew but your mom doesn't know how to sew or your dad doesn't know how to sew," said Skye Barker Maa, the owner of Factory Fashion.

However, at Factory Fashion in Aurora, Colorado, the art of design is being nurtured.

"People want to know where their clothing is made. They want to know where their food is grown. They want to know what it's made of and what it includes and make sure that the people who are making the clothing are taken care of," Barker Maa said. "For us, for small batch, we're trying to check as many of those boxes as well."

The concept of small-batch manufacturing is simple. Barker Maa explains it encompasses creating on a smaller scale in a more intimate setting and straying away from the concept of mass production. That's where many artists are initially pushed.

"You're probably going to call New York or L.A., a big house where they do everything and they are going to tell you, 'Yes, we'll help you if you make three to 500 of those,' so you're probably not going to have that money. You're going to be not ready to make a 300 garment investment in something if you don't know if it's real or not," Barker Maa said.

Just like we've seen with farm-to-table food and local craft beer, shopping is following this local movement.

"I think we went through this huge phase of trying to get as much as we can for as little as we can and I'm not suggesting that doesn't exist anymore, but I also think we're now willing to pay a little more to understand the full scope of how our products come to us," Barker Maa said. "The more you start paying attention to where everything comes from, the more you understand the people who are behind the products that you wear."

Many of those people, like designer and sewer Geli Hayes, have stories of dedication.

"I basically am self-taught. I started sewing about five years ago, bought my first sewing machine, actually skipped my rent just to buy my first sewing machine and some fabric back then. And that's how I knew I loved it because I'm not going to skip rent for anybody," Hayes said.

For her, it's about seeing that fabric turn into a finished garment.

"Sometimes, when I'm here, at the job, they have to like tell me to go home because I just want to keep sewing," Hayes said.

Small-batch fashion has given Hayes the creative freedom and opportunities she says she likely wouldn't have gotten at a larger operation.

"I think if I were to be actually working for a huge manufacturer or a huge factory, I wouldn't have for one got the position let alone learn stuff on the way," Hayes said.

"That's the bigger differentiator for us, is providing an opportunity for people to be local and providing an opportunity for them to be financially flexible as they move through the process," Barker Maa said.

Artists like these are in every city across this country that's why these designers say don't pass by the local shop.

TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — There are many ways to remember a deceased loved one, but a seamstress in Tampa, Florida has come up with a unique.

Over the years Jade Sanchez, owner of Sew Sew Amazing Alterations, has stitched everything from sweaters to pants to gowns, but 2022 is becoming the year of the "memory bear."

What’s so heartfelt is that the materials used to make these bears are from the shirts and pants loved one used to wear.

“Their favorite clothing that they always used to wear, maybe something you bought for them,” said Sanchez.“It’s a great way to put them to use definitely, even if you only have one shirt,” said Sanchez.

The first "memory bear" Jade created was for the family of her own boyfriend, Sherrod Hunter, who died suddenly from a heart attack.

Hunter’s favorite shorts were used for the belly of the bear that was given to his sister Fredrita Blanks.

“He literally wore them all the time, now mind you he had clothes for days, but whenever we saw him he had these shorts on,” said Blanks. “So when we got the bears we cried because it was very emotional, but right after the tears, came the laughter.”

Sanchez embroiders a special message to the families on the tummy of every bear.

“These are clothes I used to wear. Whenever you hold it know that I am there, love Sherrod,” is what the bear read.

“When someone passes suddenly you really don’t have the time to say goodbye but this right here, this is our goodbye, this is our goodbye from Rod,” said Blanks.

Sanchez is just so glad she can use her talents to create something that’s so positively Tampa Bay. She’s already made 25 bears in the past month and they are all one of a kind.

“My motto is every stitch is made with love, I love what I do,” said Sanchez.

“I keep it in the car, in my room, the living room, he travels with me,” said Blanks who joked about what her brother would say about the bear.

“He would say, ‘no she didn’t, no she didn’t cut up my shorts,’” said Blanks.

This story was originally reported by Robert Boyd on abcactionnews.com.

Surging shopper demand coupled with shipping container shortages and bottlenecks at ports has already triggered a tighter supply of products, from cars to shoes.

In particular, some of America's biggest sellers of clothing and shoes cite one catalyst that has compounded the pressure: factory closures in Vietnam stemming from a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak there. That's led brands from PacSun to Nike to warn about the effects on their supply.

In late December, Nike cut its full-year sales outlook due to supply chain issues, despite its CEO noting strong consumer demand.

Nike makes about three-quarters of its shoes in Southeast Asia, with 51% and 24% of manufacturing in Vietnam and Indonesia respectively.

But as the Vietnam government-imposed pandemic-related restrictions, including a mandatory shutdown of factories for several weeks from July into September, Nike said it incurred 10 weeks of lost production.

Even when factories start to reopen, which the company expects to happen in phases beginning in October, ramping up to full production could take several months, Nike's chief financial officer Matthew Friend said in a recent earnings call. Half of Nike's clothing factories in Vietnam are currently closed, company executives said during that call.

Vietnam accounts for a third of sports brand Under Armour's footwear and clothing production. Under Armour's CEO Patrik Frisk said during its most recent earnings call in August that it was closely monitoring the impact of factory shutdowns there on its supply chain there, calling it a "developing situation."

Ugg, Coach and Michael Kors have exposure

Vietnam is a crucial supplier to the U.S. in particular for apparel and footwear.

"It's a very big partner of the United States. It's our second-largest source of apparel and footwear," said Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, an industry group. China is the largest supplier of clothing and shoes, according to the AAFA.

In July, Vietnam was caught in the throes of a coronavirus outbreak caused by a suspected new variant of the virus, which Vietnam's health minister said led to a fast spread of new infections in the nation's industrial zones.

The government subsequently imposed strict lockdowns and temporarily shut factories there until mid-August, then extended it into September. Some factories are still closed.

All of this means that production for everything from sneakers and sandals to jeans, dresses, T-shirts, jackets and more are stalled.

In a research note last month, BITG analyst Camilo Lyon said athletic footwear brands such as Nike and Adidas are most at risk of having serious supply chain disruptions because "Vietnam has served as a strong manufacturing alternative to China in recent years."

Other brands that have significant manufacturing exposure to Vietnam, he said, include Ugg maker Deckers Outdoor, Columbia Sportswear, Coach parent Tapestry and Capri Holdings (which owns the Michael Kors brand).

Lyon estimates it may take five to six months for factories in Vietnam to be back up and running normally when the lockdown ends. And whenever they do come back online, he anticipates another issue: staffing.

"Vietnamese factories will also likely have trouble getting workers to come back to work post-lockdown," he said.

Teen retailer PacSun is expecting an impact on the holiday season.

Brieane Olson, president of PacSun, said in an interview in August with CNNBusiness that about 10% of its goods are sourced from Vietnam.

Olson said the retailer was already dealing with a two-to-four-week delay for its back-to-school inventory this year because of the ongoing global supply chain delays.

Now, she said, new products for the winter and holiday season are likely to also face another four-week delay, she said, making it a challenge to get new fashions and styles in jeans, tops, sweaters and sweatshirts into stores in a timely manner.

And there's an additional effect on the consumer, Olson said: Having less product means the retailer will pull back on discounts "because there is no need for it," she said.

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — After you've decluttered your wardrobe for the new year, why not sell your used clothes and make a little extra cash instead of throwing clothes away to clutter up a landfill?

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Clothes Mentor in Anderson Township is a resell store, which means they buy gently used items and give you cash on the spot.

Since reopening in May after closing for the pandemic, Mary Kucynski, the store's manager, said Clothes Mentor has seen a surge in people buying and selling clothes. The store is buying, on average, between eight and nine items from a single seller.

The shop tries to stay current with their styles and what they offer and that means they are in need of cozy work-from-home clothes.

"We're looking for soft pants, joggers, casual sweaters and cardigans, trendy denim, ankle boots," Kucynski said. "It's that comfy, casual outlook that's everybody's sticking to. Definitely athletic wear."

If you sell items at Clothes Mentor in January, you will be entered into a raffle for a $50 store gift card. And if the store doesn't buy all your items, you can donate those items at the store to Matthew 25: Ministries, which comes by the store twice a week to pick up donated items.

Video above: 8 tips to help you organize your child's closetChances are you have considered reorganizing your closet over the last few months. Granted, you might not have actually gotten around to doing it — but you have likely thought about it at some point.Perhaps you've got to a point where you can't move the hangers on the (very full) rail. Or maybe you've forgotten what it's like to be able to close the doors to your closet, as the clothes are literally overflowing.If you're at that stage, we have got just the thing. What if we told you there's a super easy way to multiply your wardrobe hanging space? The best part is it only requires one thing: empty cans.What to doStart off by removing the pull tabs from a few empty cans. The amount you'll need is determined by how much storage space you want to free up. Start by using five to 10. Next, remove one of the hangers from your wardrobe and slip the pull tab over the hook on top of the hanger. Then, take another clothes hanger and hook it onto the other metal loop on the tab. As you go, you can see this immediately frees up space on the clothes rail, with your clothes hanging vertically as opposed to horizontally.You can repeat this process multiple times. It is recommended that you hang items in groups of three, which should triple your rail space without adding too much weight to the starting hanger.Watch the TikTok hack in full here:

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Sarah Noffsinger in Virginia has been busy for the past few days, packaging gifts to people she’s never met before. She includes a handwritten card signed with love before sealing the bags and boxes.

“I want people to feel like they weren’t ‘othered,’ I guess,” said Noffsinger.

Noffsinger runs the Gender Affirming Clothing Care Package Program out of her Norfolk home for the Transgender Assistance Program of Virginia (TAP VA). The website launched June 1 on the first day of Pride Month.

“Sometimes [transgender people] have to wear clothing that doesn’t align with their gender identity or gender expression, and that can be really dysphoric for a lot of people,” she explained.

Transgender people throughout Virginia can get free clothing that makes them feel comfortable in their own bodies through the new program.

“We want people to pick out clothes that they are going to feel comfortable in and confident in so that they can knock out that job interview or feel confident enough to come out to their friends and family or something like that,” said Noffsinger.

People can browse the online catalog and pick one to three items they like, and Noffsinger will ship them off - completely free of charge.

The program started with 100 pieces of clothing. Three days and 44 orders later, they’re down to eight items.

“Even newly ‘out’ trans people, they... you kind of have to redo your whole closet, which can be a very expensive and also emotionally tasking process to try and clothes and stuff like that,” said Noffsinger.

All the clothing is donated from Nomads Clothing Exchange, a Norfolk consignment store, and community members donated packaging and shipping supplies.

The program temporarily closes on June 10 and will reopen July 1 with new items.

“It feels good knowing that somebody is going to get a package, and like, open it up and feel like super excited about it, and put on a shirt or pants, and just like feel good about who they are, and feel confident in the body that they’re in because the clothing that they’re wearing fits well,” she said.

It’s a small but meaningful gesture to help more people feel proud to be seen.

TAP VA has a free clothing closet located in Portsmouth. People who are interested in shopping at that location should contact TransactivistVA@gmail.com for details.

TAP VA has an Amazon Wish List for supplies to support the program. The nonprofit is also accepting donations through their Give OUT Day fundraiser that ends on June 30 and their website.

This story was originally published by Kofo Lasaki at WTKR.