Premium womenswear specialist The Fold London released its latest workwear report on Monday, giving some comfort to companies producing the formal clothing of which sales have been under pressure in recent years.

Its survey suggests 87% of women still think “dressing the part” remains important “in a flexible working world”.

Some 88% of respondents said the right workwear “boosts their confidence and creates a work-mode mindset”. And almost all (99%) of respondents “believe first impressions count” while “personal style is important and the right workwear is empowering”.

That comes after the enforced work-from-home trend saw loungewear in the driving seat as more formal clothing stayed on the rails. And despite staging a post-pandemic recovery, formal workwear is still battling an underlying trend in which more people feel it’s acceptable to wear items such as jeans and trainers to work.

The retailer polled its global community and found most women think they need to dress the part for work, despite hybrid working still being the norm for many people.

Of course, on some days when women are still working from home, that means tops are more important than trousers or skirts as they’re all that will be seen during online meetings.

The company spoke to 2,500 women for its 2025 survey.