Clothing is your secret super power

The things we wear define us, this ‘definition’ goes way beyond your physical outward appearance to other people, it’s a significant psychological influence that has almost limitless power. What’s more, it’s a power that everyone has access to, you can do this, we all have the ability use it and empower ourselves each and every day.

We recently shared more about the super powers of clothing in the Guest Practices videocast, hosted by Jeremy Blain, where we had the opportunity to invite Suzie Rice, from Style Heaven, to join us and explore the role of clothing in our new world, where we work from home, hybrid work and of course meet face to face.

This was such an enjoyable conversation, all three of us are passionate about people and the power we all have within us to achieve great things. We also recognise the role of clothing in shaping these powers. Myself, Suzie and Jeremy are all from different backgrounds, disciplines etc and we all have different experiences, but, and this is worth emphasizing, we all recognise the power of clothes – how they help us be our best selves each and every day.

What to wear?

It’s a big question and perhaps that’s why we don’t ask ourselves this question as often as we should? This blog, and the attached video, explores the power of clothing. Something that’s accessible to all, a power that will drive you forward and something that we think deserves more thought and attention.

Passion

It’s a word that is used a lot in business these days, but when we’re talking about you, the inner you, sharing your passions, enjoying what you’re doing, enjoying everything that life has to offer, then passion is a powerful word.

Watching ourselves on screen

This has become the norm, but it’s a major shirt from the way we have interacted in the past, the stuff that most of us are used to, our ‘comfort zone’. The biggest issue by far is the constant ability to see yourself, mirrored on the screen, something that we would never normally see when we’re talking with other people.

What we’ve lost

How people turn up to these digital meetings really matters, we’ve lost a lot of the subtle nuances that we get from face to face. How you appear on screen for video calls sets the tone of that meeting, it also sets the tone of your own mental health and well-being.

Gender inequality

How long does it take you to prepare for a video call? Be honest, look back at what you do and how much time and effort you put in before the meeting actually starts. There’s huge gender inequality here I’m afraid. Women have a lot of choice, too much choice in fact (I think many women would agree) which can be frustrating and debilitating.

Too much choice brings with it additional pressure and a process that will simply take longer than it does for a man, which feels unfair to me. Men have less options, so the time involved is shorter, but this doesn’t mean you can be lazy guys, it’s just as important you make the effort because regardless of gender, you need to feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, it supercharges you, being your best self. When you do this there’s a win-win, you feel better, engage better and are more productive, so really you are investing in your own success.

Colour

This is another area that often overwhelms people and we’re back to having too much choice, therefore no choice and no direction. Colour is primal, it’s the first thing that we see, with each colour having different associations and powers.

The rule of thumb is pretty simple, work with what you’ve got. Look at your eyes, hair and skin colour. The natural tones of you, then try different colours against them. Do that colour make you look and feel better or worse? You’ll soon know as this sense is built-in to all of us, if you’re not confident in your skills, speak with someone who can help you identify your colours, it’s a huge weight off your mind, a real release of pressure when you know and understand your colours.

Uniforms

Using this word makes me think about school, I’m sure it has similar connotations for many other people too, but what we wear each day, whatever the activity, those clothes are a uniform. These groups of clothes give us super powers, they stimulate our mind, set our focus and stimulate our creativity.

Changing them for different activities, helps our brains process the day. Speeding up, slowing down, concentrating, nurturing and everything else we do within a day, it helps your brain re-set, adjust and move up, or down gears, when you change uniform.

I know that we will all have our favourites, I do for sure, our ‘go to things’ that we love and this is where we need to be truthful to ourselves. Recognising what it is that makes us feel good, removing any other associations, thinking purely about ourselves and embracing the things that make us smile, inside and outside that’s your uniform and it’s a genuine super power.

Comparison is the mother of all fu@k ups

I think you know what I’m going to say, and I am going to write it down “Don’t do it, don’t compare yourself to others”. I know that’s easy said and very hard to do this, but believe me when I say that accessing the superpower of clothes involves being kind to yourself. Investing in you and what makes you happy will lift every aspect of life - work, relationships…anything you care to name will be lifted when you’re kind to yourself, follow your instincts and express yourself.

Purpose driven tech

This is at the heart of the DressCode brand, creating sustainable clothes with integrated technology that helps you as you go about your daily life, right now that’s help with payments via CashCuff, no more searching for cards or devices, the money is there, on your wrist and you have total control over this discreet and secure solution.

The future

I was going to call this paragraph ‘wearables’ but it just doesn’t feel right to me. What we recognise as ‘smart’ or ‘IoT’ devices or clothing really aren’t very smart right now (end of ’21, beginning of ’22). They are things that you attach, use and either forget or invade your personal space with even more digital distraction. They are often adding more complication to our already busy lives. We see the future of clothing being smarter, more integrated, subtle and sophisticated. Clothes that help you go about your day, helping you in moments of need with things like posture advice, pulse monitoring that will warm or cool the clothes to help calm you. Clothes that recognise when you’re in need, helping you through tough times with mental health training and support. It’s a bold vision and it’s a vision that we are looking forward to realising and sharing with you.

If you'd like to discover more about your secret super power - clothes, get in touch.