It’s a great time to be a tobacco company in Germany: While cigarette sales have been falling at a steady pace worldwide, Germany has seen increased rates of smoking since the start of covid-19 lockdowns, alarmingly among the youth, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing German government data. Since March 2020, the smoking rate in the country has increased to 34% from 26.5%, most significantly in the 14-17 age bracket, making Germany an outlier among other European countries, where sales had been falling, according to the WHO.

Blame covid-19: Seen as the marker of the uptick in cigarette sales, the WHO speculates that people spending more time at home where smoking isn’t restricted may have contributed to more time spent on the habit. People working from offices couldn’t take unlimited cigarette breaks a day, but people working from home could smoke freely from their balconies, laptops in hand. Since people were spending less on gas, travel, and entertainment during the lockdown, it could also be that they had more money to spend on cigarettes, said the organization.

The devil you know better than the devil you don’t: The vagueness of the health concerns surrounding e-cigarettes and similar products have driven many vapers back to the trusty coffin nail. The medical effects of vaping are uncharted waters, whereas the long-term consequences of smoking tobacco are familiar, and smokers are choosing to trust what they already know. The comparatively low price of a pack of cigarettes in Germany is another contributing factor — the same pack priced at USD 7.26 in Germany could cost smokers twice as much in the US at USD 15. For comparison’s sake, a pack of Merit cigarettes in Egypt now goes for EGP 70 (USD 2.3). In an effort to curb the rise of smoking, public health experts are urging the German government to drive up tobacco product prices through sin taxes.

Workleisure: As close as you can get to wearing PJs at the office: As companies are scaling back work from home policies and bringing people back to the office on a more regular basis, employees are looking for ways to bring the WFH-feel back into the office building, Bloomberg says. And athletic wear companies have answered the call — enter “workleisure” clothing. The key is to recreate the time-honored office wear with different fabrics that are breathable, flexible, and comfortable. Ecological and technological innovations — think tops from corn and shirts that adjust to the body’s temperature — can also come into play to tick every customer’s box, comfy and sustainable.

You won’t go into meetings looking like a gym rat: You can still look professional while feeling comfortable and cool, which is the pitch from brands like Lululemon and Athleta. They are expanding their range by creating new designs, such as flare trousers, button down shirts, and blazers, out of the same materials they use for their sportswear.

Long covid, the sartorial version: The long-term repercussions ofcCovid-19 are still changing work spaces — even shaping the way we dress. People now place more value on their wellbeing and don’t want “to sacrifice comfort when heading into the office,” the business information service quotes the spokesperson of an athleisure company as saying. Luckily, they don’t have to with demand driving the multi-bn USD fashion industry to supply new products tailored to emerging needs.

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