For the past two months, 26-year-old Ailynn Song has been wearing almost nothing but pyjamas.

She wakes up in the morning and, still clad in last night's pyjamas, starts work at home as a customer relationship management specialist at online marketplace Carousell.

After work, she changes into sportswear for a workout. A quick shower later, she is back in a fresh set of pyjamas, ready to repeat the cycle the next day.

If she has to jump on a video call, she dons a more presentable top.

"But always (with) boxer shorts," she says.

She recently spent $110 checking out a virtual shopping cart of loungewear, boxer shorts and sports attire from Australian retailer Cotton On.

"It's the only reason I shop now," she says. "To get more pyjamas."

Like Ms Song, many people have come to realise that the perks of working from home include the comfort of being able to dress down.

But there is a fine line between comfortable and sloppy.

Enter loungewear, a growing segment of fashion now seeing increased demand as more people work from home during the coronavirus pandemic.

A March survey of 301 fashion businesses in Britain and Ireland by British retail magazine Drapers found that amid declining sales, the businesses' best-performing products were jeans, denim, leggings, loungewear and athleisure.

The growing interest is reflected in Singapore too.

International lingerie and homewear label 6ixty8ight, which has eight stores here, has seen sales double in its homewear category - which includes nightwear and loungewear - compared with six months ago.

Bestsellers in the last three months include the brand's modal pyjamas and sleep shirts, sports leggings and T-shirt dresses and its Supersoft collection of lingerie.

Regional managing director Paulino Moreno says: "We see a big potential with shifting consumer behaviour even after the pandemic - comfort will be a priority for customers."

Local labels are seeing similar demand.

Luxury loungewear brand Bells & Birds saw a 20 per cent increase in sales last month after an initial decline in March, says founder and designer Amanda Koh, 31.

Sales at her retail space in Shenton Way fell in March, alongside footfall in the Central Business District.

With sourcing and partial production affected by the global lockdowns, she also had to delay production by a few weeks for a new collection scheduled for March.

But things have been looking up. Ms Koh, whose handmade pieces are priced from $80 for slips to $300 for robes, has noticed that "more people are looking for comfortable yet stylish loungewear".

Customers have been asking for more robes and pyjama sets - her label's bestsellers - as well as accessories like mulberry silk eye masks and scrunchies.

Ms Koh, who started the label in 2014 with a focus on bridal robes, adds: "With weddings being postponed or cancelled, we are now fully focused on our loungewear."

FASHION RETAILERS JUMP IN

Other fashion brands have been quick to respond to the trend.

Home-grown label Love, Bonito launched its first loungewear collection online early last month.

The seven-piece line, comprising separates like kimonos ($39.90), camisole tops ($29.90) and an eye mask ($11.90), has mostly sold out.

The collection was conceptualised early last year and not timed to coincide with the current situation, says a representative from the company.

"But there has definitely been an increase in interest in comfortable clothing that doesn't sacrifice style and versatility."

The label, which has three stores here, is planning a restock of the collection at the end of the month, which will include a capsule collection of twinning loungewear for kids.

Bangkok-based brand Pomelo launched its most recent loungewear and activewear collections last month - a week ahead of the planned date so it could be made available to customers earlier, says a representative from the brand.

Pomelo, which opened here at 313@somerset in June last year, has carried loungewear and casual clothing even before the pandemic.

But it took the opportunity to "ramp up offerings for work-from-home styles".

"Safe distancing and working from home have shifted consumer demand for workwear and going-out attire to items suitable for comfort at home," adds the Pomelo representative.

"We were able to quickly adapt to these changing demands from our shoppers."

The brand already has plans to launch more loungewear, as well as a new "self-care product category" linked to "personal health, hygiene and protection".

The representative adds: "Beyond physical comfort, fashion now also plays an important role in providing a sense of normalcy during these disruptive times - being able to keep to a routine of dressing up daily helps people cope, as it is something within their control."

THE RETURN OF ACTIVEWEAR

Hand in hand with the growing demand for loungewear is a renewed interest in activewear, or comfortable workout clothing.

It makes transitioning into spontaneous workouts at home more convenient, say shoppers here.

Content manager Adibah Isa, 32, has been buying more activewear since February when she started working from home.

She favours international labels Alo Yoga, Dharma Bums and Lululemon because the size range of local labels is limited.

"I wear activewear when I'm working so I can exercise straight away during lunch or after work," she says.

"I need more activewear as I now exercise every day, as opposed to doing yoga two to three times a week previously. I also wear it to get groceries because it's so comfy."

Pomelo, which introduced activewear in 2016 to meet the demand for athleisure, says sales of activewear have quadrupled compared with pre-Covid-19 days.

Activewear bottoms, outerwear and tops saw a fourfold, fivefold and threefold jump respectively in online sales from mid-March.

With more people exercising at home, "demand has definitely surged these few months" for local activewear label Kydra.

The unisex athleisure brand even went ahead to launch two new collections - for men and women - during the circuit breaker.

Co-founder Jimmy Poh, 29, says: "We were hesitant at first, but after seeing how the community reacted and adapted quickly to the pandemic with home workouts, we decided to move forward with the launch."

The brand also started an Instagram challenge encouraging customers to work out at home in their Kydra gear, adds Mr Poh, whose stay-at-home wardrobe is exclusively Kydra.

"The newly launched collections have done very well, thanks to the support of our loyal following and the fitness community."

Heartened too by demand, Bells & Birds' Ms Koh has plans to add new offerings in the coming months.

She intends to expand her sleepwear range with more silk and modal cotton pieces - fabrics that keep one comfortable "in our humid climate".

She has even received requests to expand her capsule nightwear collection - a line of more sensual pieces including bustiers, sheer slips and bodysuits.

"We're seeing a higher rate of returning customers, so that is encouraging," she adds.

BUY YOURSELF SOME COMFORT

Living exclusively in comfortable clothing now? Amanda Chai has these options for those who are running low on work pyjamas

KYDRA

A home-grown favourite among gym bunnies, unisex label Kydra offers clean activewear basics for men and women. Sports bras are priced from $52, leggings from $76 and tank tops from $32. For the guys, tops are priced from $36 and shorts from $62.

Its latest men's activewear launch features workout classics - functional T-shirts, casual tank tops and the brand's best-selling two-in-one shorts ($68)- with adjusted fits and more lightweight materials.

Available at: kydra.co

BELLS & BIRDS

For silk robes, slips, shorts, pyjama sets and other such luxurious sleepwear, check out home-grown label Bells & Birds. Slips are priced from $80 to $120 and robes from $120 to $300.

Founder Amanda Koh, 31, sources lace and silk fabrics from Japan, South Korea and Europe, which are then handmade into the dainty pieces.

Available at: bellsandbirds.com

UNIQLO

No surprise here that the Japanese basics retailer has a selection of comfortable, versatile staples you can wear both indoors and out.

Guys can keep it breezy with easy shorts ($19.90) or relaxed lounge pants (from $29.90). You can even find a curated T-shirt and shorts lounge set ($29.90) featuring Uniqlo's cooling Airism technology.

Available at: uniqlo.com/sg and on the Uniqlo SG app

6IXTY8IGHT

The Paris-founded lingerie and sleepwear label is an affordable one-stop shop for all things cosy. You can find bralettes, sleep shorts, pyjamas and casual clothing from as low as $9.90. It added activewear at the start of the year.

The store, which launched its e-commerce site in Singapore in November last year, offers free shipping on all orders over $45, though customers should expect a longer delivery time.

Available at: sg.6ixty8ight.com

COTTON ON

Fans of the fast-fashion brand will be pleased to know the webstore is offering free returns and exchanges for all online orders.

Aside from the main line, you can also shop from the group's sub-brand Cotton On Body, which retails intimates, sleepwear and activewear from $10.

Available at: cottonon.com/SG

POMELO

Founded and designed in Bangkok, Pomelo offers a large range of casualwear, loungewear and activewear. It also sells antibacterial fabric masks ($9 for a pack of three), with profits going to charity.

While its physical store remains closed during the circuit breaker period, the online store is still fulfilling orders.

Available at: pomelofashion.com/sg and on the Pomelo Fashion app