Need a New Zoom Shirt? Discover These 5 Impressive e-Commerce Businesses Worth Supporting.

These innovative fashion brands offer stylish Zoom shirts for women and men to look their best during videoconference calls.

You need more than one Zoom shirt.

Joel Stein of the New York Times detailed in an article how executives are reusing the same Zoom shirt for videoconference calls upwards of 70 times in a row.

I don’t care how little anyone else is paying attention to what you are wearing.

As a society, if we wear the same polo shirt for every single Zoom call, then we are just a couple of food-in-a-cup shakes away from floating on the Axiom.

Companies are hurting right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And you need a new Zoom shirt. Feel good about buying 5 or 6 of them.

Ministry of Supply

Aman Advani, CEO of Ministry of Supply, told me he recommends new customers begin by trying the company’s Apollo dress shirt. Available for men and women, the Apollo is a simple button down made from extraordinary fabric that wicks moisture and regulates your body temperature. It is dressier than a polo shirt but more comfortable and wrinkle resistant than a traditional button down. You can feel good about supporting Ministry of Supply, which is 3D-printing washable face masks and donating to local hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Ministry of Supply is also one of several terrific options for athleleisure and activewear alternatives to lululemon.)

Ministry of Supply is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to comfortable professional performance clothing made from technical fabrics. There are many more options for buying comfortable, stretchy performance professional clothing for men and women, and

Alex Mill

Founded by Alexander Drexler, the son of renowned former J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler, Alex Mill is a great option for popover shirts for men and women. Not familiar with popover shirts? Typically, they feature a collar and 4-6 buttons, which start at the collar and end about midway down the shirt. Popover shirts can be slipped on and off easily and still look professional.

More broadly, Alex Mill is a solid alternative if you like J. Crew.

Ledbury

I adore Richmond-based Ledbury. The menswear startup combines Southern style with British tailoring, and is, in my book, one of the best alternatives to Brooks Brothers. Ledbury has also stepped up to respond to COVID-19, and their co-founder thinks the world could use a little more love right now. While you can buy one of their terrific cotton dress shirts, I’d opt instead for one of their linen blend button downs, which is cool and lightweight for summer, and resists wrinkling.

Everlane

Built on the idea of giving “radical transparency” into its supply chain, Everlane is one of my all-time favorite brands for men and women. Try Everlane for simple, sturdy polo shirts for women and men, as well as a range of button down shirts in linen and cotton.

Their selection of tops is particularly strong for women, and includes silk short sleeved notch shirts, lightweight cotton shirts and short sleeve sweater tops.

Boden

UK-based Boden is an impressive destination for British-inspired professional wear, particularly for women. Their button-down jersey tops, linen shirts, tunics and classic, brightly-colored Bretons make great options for Zoom calls. While Boden isn’t exclusively for women — in fact, the brand began life producing only menswear — but it’s men’s edit is definitely smaller.

Support small businesses during COVID-19

While we struggle to find the right Zoom shirt, it’s important to support small businesses so they can make it through the crisis.

A number of small and independent businesses have shared their story about how they are adjusting to COVID-19:

1. Save $50 off of your first custom tailored suit from Black Lapel, one of my absolute favorite options for made-to-measure suits, and learn more about how Black Lapel is facing the coronavirus from Co-Founder Derek Tian;
2. Check out how soap and personal care products brand Duke Cannon Supply Company is Supporting First Responders and Producing Spectacular PSAs;
3. See what Wolf and Shepherd CEO Justin Schneider has to say about the “New Normal” and Making Quick Decisions to Survive During COVID-19;
4. Explore how Nomad Lane Co-Founder Vanessa Jeswani is Pivoting her Travel Brand to Cater to Road Trips and Remote Work Needs;
5. See How Rumpl CEO Wylie Robinson Tweaked its Brand Positioning to Adjust to COVID19 (and the Good Cause his Business is Supporting);
6. Understand how Jon Shanahan, co-founder of Skincare innovator Stryx, pivoted its messaging amid COVID-19, and watch his video below on how to look your best on Zoom calls.

If you’re looking for more small businesses to support, explore this coalition of companies giving back to their communities during COVID-19.

Or pick up a face mask from fashion brands who have pivoted during this time.

Or grab a pair of blue light blocking glasses from these innovative e-commerce brands to save your bleary eyes from too much screen time.

Photo credit: Featured photo by Chris Montgomery via Unsplash.