What do you all wear to work?
And by you, I mean the young professionals who work in this new hybrid remote/office work environment. You are the ones who work at Silicon Slopes.
One in seven jobs in Utah is in the tech sector. Sure, the industry as a whole has had a bit of a tough time lately, with 260,000 job losses expected in 2023, the worst year since the dot-com bubble burst. But tech still has a big presence in the region. And how tech workers dress has an impact on the rest of the workforce, whether that be for those of us whose closest connection to technological innovation is a six-year-old laptop or those of us who have never bought digital currency.
But lately, the fashion situation for the average tech guy seems to be taking a turn for the worse — or, at the very least, suffering from an identity crisis.
It never was. Pre-pandemic, our local tech fashion could only be described as “chaotic.” Not East Coast, but not West Coast. Not trendy, but not classic. Not sportswear, but not academic. An unnatural mix of dorm, oligarch, and sloppy. The message seemed to be either “I care too much” or “I don't care too much,” with only a few brave souls wearing anything in between.
For this sartorial chaos, we can thank or blame the celebrities and high-income earners who appear on the news and on television in designer shoes, flat-brimmed hats, and expensive T-shirts. Some would say it's bold. I would say it's eccentric, and I mean that lovingly.
At the other end of the style spectrum, we have people like Mark Zuckerberg, whose plain, boring t-shirts seem to say, “I, a robotic man, choose not to conform to traditional human foibles like fashion.” And that is certainly a choice.
The problem is that fashion's trickle-down effect is making mid-level technologists who aren't famous, highly paid, or have computer algorithms for a brain less ambitious. This isn't just a local problem, it's a national crisis.
Silicon Valley stylist Victoria Hitchcock told Vox, “Blending in usually means conforming to a style aesthetic: the Silicon Valley uniform of plain T-shirts, jeans, and modest sneakers. The hope is that thousands of aspiring tech entrepreneurs will emulate this style and ultimately achieve similar fame.”
I've seen the effects of fame-chasing on personal style — tech conferences are like Anna Wintour's nightmare come true — and there are way too many flat-brimmed hats.
Of course, it could be worse, like the Bay Area, where techies swarming the streets in fleece vests, collared shirts, Allbirds shoes, and backpacks they got for free at trade shows are frequently spotted chatting about Cybertrucks and non-fungible tokens in the nooks of Chipotle, to the bewilderment of other Chipotle patrons.
But seeing Allbirds/fleece vests creeping into my local Chipotle has me worried. And I'm not the only one who's worried. As Tanner Guzy once wrote in the Deseret News, “Much of what's happening in Utah is innovative. People have moved here from all over the world and become part of a unique culture of recreation, business, family and faith. We're not just the Bay Area's little brother. So why are we acting like that with style?”
What could inspire change more than ill will? And especially ill will towards the Bay Area, which for reasons I'll never understand, our tech community seems to have been at odds with the Bay Area for years. So let's go out there and show them who can wear it better.
To be clear, I'm not saying you should throw out the drawers full of athleisure items you acquired during the pandemic—in my case, you can snatch those buttery-soft joggers from my cold, dead hands.
I'm just wondering if I could rebrand my tech uniform for the day I have to leave the house and show my face and style to the world. Surely I could look better than my western competitors. Low bar! I think it can be done!
And if copying the style of the titans is an unavoidable habit, we have good news for you: some of them are reinventing themselves. Even Zuckerberg has been upgrading his style with chain necklaces and shearling jackets lately. I don't think it's a look that suits everyone, or even him, but at least it gives him a unique perspective.
That's what I want for all techies, even if it's just from an age-appropriate standpoint. Affordable t-shirts. Pants that fit well. A regular brim hat. Authenticity and a unique style that makes everyone feel great at work.
So that will show them.
