Dress for Success
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greets Volodymyr Zelenskyy
In advance of a recent two-day summit in February (2023) for top EU leaders with Ukrainian officials a dress code was circulated by the EU informing its hierarchy to wear “Usual business attire.”
The reason for this sartorial advice was to reserve the military look for the hosts and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has made an army green T-shirt or sweatshirt his war-time uniform.
The Ukranian leader has torn up the dress code for political leaders with his martial clothing and has made it difficult for the heads of the major western countries to choose their wardrobe when visiting the Ukrainian capital. His choice of clothing has given him a clear brand identity when appearing in front of the TV cameras. A politician’s job is often as much about photo ops and symbolism as it is about actual policy.
Research conducted at Harvard Business School would describe Zelenskyy’s wardrobe as being a ‘red sneaker moment’. The Harvard academics found that people who deliberately do not conform to an accepted dress code or choose to dress differently to their peers can achieve a higher status.
Political and business leaders have adopted this approach for many years and use this lack of conformity to create their own brand identity. In WW2 Winston Churchill pioneered the onesie with his infamous siren suit and in more recent years it’s been difficult to avoid Donald Trump’s ‘make America great again’ red baseball hat.
Mark Zuckerberg sports his iconic grey Brunello Cucinelli t-shirts to show, that despite his billion dollar bank balance, at heart he is humble coder (the t-shirts cost over £200 each). Steve Jobs became famous for a black turtleneck, jeans, and New Balance sneakers.
Some politicians stray into a ‘red sneaker’ moment to secure more favourable voter ratings. A bare chested Vladimir Putin can often be seen holidaying in Siberia with a hunting rifle or riding a horse on the Russian steppe to secure a macho reputation with the Russian voters. It may take more than a photo opportunity to secure his long term political success if Volodymyr Zelenskyy has his way.
