Why Do We Dress Uniquely? Rise of Customization
Us humans connect in two opposite ways: by belonging to a group and by expressing our colors. As we try to fit into our social environment and follow the trends, we strive to stand out from the crowd and be unique. This antinomy influences the way we dress between clothes that fit with the group and clothes that make a fashion statement that stands out for the group.
The Evolution of Conformity: From Tribe to Trendsetters
Group-customized clothes usually answer the necessity to blend in a group, drawing us back to when we lived in our tribe where belonging to the rest of the pack drove us to survive. As a common caveman belonging was enough. History happened when a group of weirdos decided to dress more and more differently to gain leadership and oversight over the group. They were the kings and priests of the past which created a specific dress code for them. In a sense, breaking from that dress code is a challenge to the order of things.
Dressing Differently: The Power of Individual Style
In The Office, when Pam Beesly breaks up with her long-time boyfriend Roy, she decides to get new clothes that make her more confident and show a slightly flamboyant personality. She wants to be seen as the beautiful woman instead of being taken for granted or overlooked: her new clothes help her to get this change in her life. She even wears her new clothes during a “fashion show, fashion show at lunch!”. Pam exemplifies the individual power moves where personalizing your clothing makes you stand out from the rest of the team and change the narrative when it makes you look good and most importantly, feel confident. Dressing differently is a statement of leadership, where you decide to inspire the group.
Bridging the Gap: Finding Confidence in Customization
The best clothing item is one that can answer both our need to be in a group while being able to show our individual confidence. To resolve this antinomy makes for a great fashion piece by dressing differently together is a show of strength. Pushing this logic further, creating a good gift for your team also comes down to personalization. We always want to show our colors, whether within a group or by ourselves. The main mistake is not to customize with style. If the personalized design makes us different, the quality of the fabrics makes us feel the difference. As the saying goes: “ we do not have confidence, we feel confident”.
