Personal Branding

Stone-washed Levi’s 501s, black mock turtleneck, gray New Balance trainers, and no belt. It’s more than a uniform, it’s a personal brand, and Steve Jobs has been loyally enforcing his hallmark for handfuls of decades. The ensemble says simple, easy to use, a dedication to only making additions and decisions which prosper your master goal.

Now who is this computer guy in the suit? This first revision of Steve Jobs looks kind of fancy and complicated. With all those buttons, one might fall off. His computers probably have lots of buttons too. What do all those buttons do?

Clothing does more than aid your feeling of personal prettiness, nay clothing places you in society. Perhaps not in the clean little class boxes that it did when only Aztec royalty could wear cotton, but certainly it speaks to what you believe in, what you’re rebelling against, and whom you care to share tea with.

In the last month Cardigan Empire has executed some sartorial branding itself. First, we (that would be in the royal sense as Cardigan Empire is a community of one) outfitted a greenish (environmentally friendly hue, not inexperienced cast) high tech company tailored towards the young techno-savvy demographic. In preparation for filming their commercial, they needed ensembles that said, “Shalom, not only do I plan to shield the earth through the power of my technology-savvy conscious, but I also intend to squirrel away a few bucks in the process.”

Then there is the creatively successful CEO straddling both ancient societal wisdom and emerging media revolution. She needed outfits that said, “Yes, I am clever and creative and commanding and certainly more than a little bit fabulous.”

Brands are not just for dr. professional multinationals. No, a brand is for your exclusive introduction into the world’s drawing room as well.

This week on Cardigan Empire we will be reviewing the benefits of a personal brand, and demonstrating how to put one together yourself.