A Business Casual ...ty in the Making

A Business Casual ...ty in the Making
Must We Kiss Our Khakis Goodbye?

BY BOB PIERCE

In the 1970s and ’80s we were told to “dress for success” or risk falling into mediocrity, losing the big promotion or even losing our jobs. In the ’90s it was all about dressing down. We were told that casual dress would allow us to express our individuality and enjoy the freedom of self-expression that would unleash creative juices and foster efficiency. Human-resource studies even touted business-casual dress programs as incentives for prospective hires.

So what’s the new buzz, are we supposed to dress up again? All the evidence suggests the answer to this question is “yes.” But if you ask someone to describe the new dress code, you get a variety of replies. The common thread in this new business-dress movement is dissatisfaction with traditional dress code policies. “Company dress codes can give you an anxiety attack, because nowadays you never know whether you’re overdressed, underdressed or just under duress,” reports an article from the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.

Actually, the so-called “success” of business-casual dress programs may be overrated. Most business owners and managers have discovered that with the freedom and self-expression of business casual come the grief and aggravation of inappropriate dress. Throughout our society, a general confusion about what to wear has developed. You can no longer identify the doctor from the patient, the teacher from the student, the salesman from the customer or a trade show supplier from a visiting distributor. Most of us recall the Scott Adams’ cartoon where employees are observed entering the office on casual day. The first person is in a ballet outfit; next comes an employee in a bathrobe. The final frame shows the last person naked. The manager comments, “I think the casual day program is getting out of hand.”

I have to admit to some personal enjoyment in not being required to wear a tie or a business suit in our industry. But the truth is that American business is applying the hard edge of reason and objectivity to the way employees dress. Corporate polls have shown the new trend is starting in big cities with many Fortune 1000 companies and spreading slowly but surely throughout the rest of the country. As early as last October, Sales & Marketing Management magazine declared, “Sales and marketing executives, throw out your golf shirts and khakis! In this post-September 11, financially strapped business climate where time is limited, dollars are scarce and negotiations are more serious, the business-casual look is officially dead.”

Businesses are concerned about dress and the way employees appear to customers and the public. Many business managers are establishing goals and objectives for their dress programs. They are asking simple questions such as, “What benefits might be realized to my company if employees change the way they dress?” And, “How does dress affect the way my customers perceive my company and its products and services?”

We need to ask ourselves how this trend may change the way we sell decorated apparel to American businesses. For instance, when your buyers pick up on the new business-dress trend, will they think of you when it comes to advice on upgrading their program? Or will they search for an alternative source, assuming that your expertise is limited to the old casual-apparel products? The best defense, as they say, is a good offense. And every good offense requires a thoughtful strategy. Here are two ways to start on yours:

• Find out if it hurts and where it hurts. Reports indicate that the movement to upgrade business dress may arrive more slowly in places such as Silicon Valley and the rural South. It will happen faster in urban areas and in professional institutions, including banks and medical offices. Larry Ramirez, an industry sales rep in Chicago and 16-year veteran of apparel sales suggests, “There is a ripple effect when big corporations set standards on how you are supposed to dress. They start wearing suits. Then vendors start wearing suits, and so on. The trend must inevitably grow.” So, begin by probing your customers for changes in how they perceive their apparel program.
• Put on your consultant’s hat. A discussion with your buyer about the purpose of the dress program may hold surprises for both you and the customer. Often, the buy/sell relationship can become cluttered with product talk and not enough practical dialogue about real issues. Put together a checklist as food for thought: “In a perfect world, Mr. Buyer, what do you want your customers to think of when they see the way your employees are dressed?” (professional, organized, creative, hard-working, goal-oriented, trendy, profit-oriented, meticulous, friendly, down-home, etc.) The answers may help direct you to a certain level of merchandise.

The good news is that business-casual dress is not dying ... but it certainly is changing. The more you learn about the changes, the better prepared you will be to profit from them.

Bob Pierce is executive vice president of sales and marketing for Dunbrooke Apparel Corp. (www.dunbrooke.com), a manufacturer of high-quality apparel for American business. Headquartered in Independence, Mo., Dunbrooke maintains more than 80 employees at two facilities and sales representatives nationwide. Pierce has worked in the promotional products industry for 26 years, the last 13 with Dunbrooke. For more information, or to schedule a visit at an upcoming trade show or The Millionaire Road Tour, contact customerservice@dunbrooke.com or 800.310.4985.