What McKinsey and Industry Data Signal for Suit Sales in 2026
- Andris Vizulis
- Dec 29, 2025
- 4 min read
For decades, the tailoring industry could rely on one thing: consistency.
Professionals needed suits, not just one or two, but a rotation. Monday through Friday, the wardrobe refresh cycle was predictable.
That cycle is now slightly broken.
2026 is shaping up to be a turning point for the formalwear market, with multiple independent reports suggesting a structural slowdown in everyday suit demand. Not a crash, but a fundamental reshaping of how, why, and when people buy suits.
The data and behavior patterns are clear, and tailors who ignore them risk being caught off guard, so lets look at the data.
1. The psychological requirement to wear a suit is disappearing
Hybrid work didn’t just relax dress codes. It reset them.
In most modern offices, formality is now optional. Lawyers wearing jeans when not in courts, consultants wearing vests with shirts or bankers wearing chinos with a shirt is becoming the new norm. Workers who once wore suits as part of the daily uniform now reach for comfort-first outfits that still read “professional” on camera and in hybrid environments.
Recent studies paint a consistent picture:
Only ~3% of professionals in the U.S. still wear suits regularly to work, down from around 7% in 2019.
79% of hybrid employees in 2025 report dressing differently because of flexible work arrangements.
53% prioritize comfort as their main wardrobe factor, while 35% mix casual and formal daily.
Even when trying to look “professional,” most now define it as comfort plus versatility, not strict formality.
The implications are obvious:
The suit has lost its role as a daily default.
Instead of being a weekday essential, it’s becoming a situational tool: something people wear for moments of visibility, not obligation. That shift alone has dismantled one of the key drivers of historical suit demand: routine replenishment.
2. The industry analysts already knows this even if many tailors don’t
This isn’t just consumer psychology. It’s already showing up in formalwear market data.
Reports from Business Research Insights and other analysts now explicitly cite remote and hybrid work as growth restraints for traditional suits. Forecasts for the corporate attire market confirm the same:
growth is shifting toward adaptable, hybrid-friendly clothing, not daily suits.
Translation:
The market itself is acknowledging what many retailers are still hoping will reverse.
Demand hasn’t vanished it’s rearranged.
It now clusters around life events, public appearances, and professional milestones not as much around office attendance as in the past. The “steady buyer” who once purchased multiple suits each year to refresh a work wardrobe has a smaller role in the data.
3. Economic headwinds will intensify the slowdown
Even without the cultural shift, 2026 is set to test the entire fashion sector.
The latest McKinsey State of Fashion report describes next year as challenging, citing slower global growth and increasingly value-driven consumers.
Global GDP growth is projected around 3.1%.
The EU expects roughly 1%, and the U.S. about 2%.
When economic optimism cools, discretionary categories like tailored clothing always feel it first (bespoke not as much).
Expect fewer:
Impulse purchases
“Just-in-case” work suit purchases
Quick replacements for existing wardrobes
Growing part of buyers will think longer, compare more carefully, and justify every purchase. They’ll choose fewer pieces, but expect each to deliver more value.
4. What this means for tailors
The takeaway is straightforward and critical:
The sub-niche of clients who once bought multiple suits per year to replace worn garments is shrinking.
Earning the space for a client’s second or third suit will now require more persuasion, differentiation, and brand strength.
In this new environment, growth won’t come from offering more fabrics or better technical details. It will come from repositioning what the suit represents.
5. The new psychology of suit buying
When we analyze performance data across our clients and other growing suit businesses, a clear pattern can be seen.
The tailors who continue to grow aren’t those shouting about Super numbers, linings, or discounts, showing fabric swatches.
They’re the ones anchoring their marketing around purpose and transformation.
Here’s what consistently performs best:
1. Use at visibility moments
Showcasing use at presentations, public appearances, conferences, weddings: situations where presence and first impressions matter.
2. Identity and authority
Campaigns that link suits with confidence, leadership, and transformation consistently outperform feature-based advertising and content.
3. Comfort-adapted tailoring
Highlighting stretch, light construction, and versatility reframes the purchase as an upgrade in experience, not an outdated obligation, increasing the odds of getting 2nd suit purchase.
When your client’s perception shifts from “I should wear a suit” to “I want to feel like that”, you will be on the right path to navigate the shifting markets.
TL;DR: Stop selling suits as workwear
Sell why suits matter, not what they’re made of.
In 2026 and beyond:
Routine replenishment purchases will continue to decline
Office-driven demand will decrease
“Value and purpose” will become the deciding factors
But there’s a silver lining:
As traditional buyers fade, a new wave of aspirational professionals is emerging — younger clients buying their first real suit, founders and creatives rediscovering tailoring as a statement of intent, not conformity, growing female suit market etc.
This isn’t the crash of tailoring market that you should be scared about.
It’s its subtle but noticable redefinition of the type of clients you will be seing more or less.
And those who adapt now will be the ones defining what the next decade of modern tailoring looks like.
Want to stay ahead of the curve?
If you’d like help updating your marketing strategy from outreach angles, operational efficiency, to appointment funnels, and want to prepare for what’s coming in 2026, schedule a free discovery session with us here:
To your success,
Andris
