N.B. consignment shop pivots to taking in more casual business attire amid COVID-19

A second-hand clothing store in Moncton is having to take a second look at its business model due to the pandemic.

“We certainly have moved up on things like our activewear,” said Mario Robichaud, who owns Boutique 2ieme Look consignment shop in Moncton with his wife Ginette Robichaud.

Like many retailers, Robichaud said the high-end couture consignment shop, which caters to business professionals, has experienced a 30 per cent drop in retails sales due to COVID-19.

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But, he said, it is the change in pandemic fashion trends that has truly forced his business to pivot.

“We are adapting to the fact that office workwear is not gone but it is going to change because of the number of people who are not going into the office anymore,” he said.

He said they are having to adjust their inventory as a result. The shop is now focusing on taking in consignment clothing that leans toward business casual yet trendy, said Ginette Robichaud.

“We will be looking still for the blazer but maybe not the two-piece suit. It would be like that blazer that would blend in with a nice T-shirt and dark denim.”

Robichaud said she has been sewing fashions since she was a little girl said people can still be trendy and comfy working from home. She suggests getting up and getting out of those slippers and pyjamas might be good for one’s productivity as well.

“When you are sort of dressed more of your casual, you tend to let go and be like, ‘Oh, I will do that tomorrow,’ whereas when you are ready, when you get yourself ready in the morning, you get yourself and go go go,” she said.

As the vaccine rollout has been slow across the country, chances are the couple says the at-home business casual trend will continue its upswing into the spring and summer.