Fashion Is Done With Remote Work

"Like most companies, the New York-based firm - which counts Patagonia, PVH Corp. and Birkenstock among its clients - closed its office early in the pandemic and allowed employees to continue working from home long after the lockdowns were lifted. Ma said the setup was functional, but that relying primarily on Slack and Zoom made it easier for key details to slip through the cracks. In 2024, the company returned to a five-day-a-week office schedule."

"When you're in the same room, you can stop and ask, 'What do you mean by that?' he said. 'Sometimes even a facial [expression] tells you certain things.' Two years ago, 7thonline was an outlier. Today, its policy is increasingly common. Over the past year, retailers from Amazon to Gap Inc. have mandated full-time returns to the office. In publishing, Condé Nast and Penske Media have moved to four-day mandates, while Instagram is set to require five days starting in February."

7thonline traced most operational mistakes from 2020–2023 to working from home, citing reliance on Slack and Zoom that allowed key details to slip. The company closed its office early in the pandemic, kept remote work long after lockdowns, then returned to a five-day in-office schedule in 2024. Executives report in-person presence aids immediate clarification and nonverbal cues. Retailers and publishers have increasingly mandated office returns, with fashion setting three days as a baseline and many moving toward stricter policies. Concerns include cultural drift, weaker collaboration and uneven productivity. In a softer labor market, some firms may use mandates to reduce headcount by prompting resignations. Clear rationale and built-in flexibility can ease implementation.

Read at The Business of Fashion