Spicing Up Your Corporate Wardrobe

It is a new year and this means another opportunity to change everything about you including your clothing. Clothes are some of the things most people hardly consider when making a list of important changes they need to make in their lives. Especially in our part of the world where you can wear the same type of clothes throughout the year, people barely give a thought to what they wear to work.

It is high time we give a certain measure of priority to how we look because like it or not, what we wear tells a lot about us. Aside that it also has a degree of influence on our productivity. How? Well according to Dr. Karen Pine, Professor of Psychology at Hertfordshire and Fashion Psychologist, “When we put on an item of clothing, it is common for the wearer to adopt the characteristics associated with that garment. A lot of clothing has symbolic meaning for us, whether it is ‘professional work attire’ or ‘relaxing weekend wear,’ so when we put it on, we prime the brain to behave in ways consistent with that meaning.”

The professor could not have put it any better. Now, you have the opportunity to spice up your corporate wardrobe for 2022 with these tips…

Add Some Colour
The plain old clothes will not work this year. You may not know but colour has a psychological impact on you, the people you encounter daily as well as your business. Can you imagine the kind of magic that was created after darkness hovered in the deep for so long, and God said let there be light? That is what colour does to a person; it gives you a certain feeling of freshness and confidence. A very good reason why you need to lighten up your colour codes this year. I am not saying drop those boring monochromatic garbs if you cannot afford to, but you can add a little bit of tint to make it better.

Add Some Traditional Twist
I believe the Friday Wear concept, which ensures that Corporate Ghana sheds its western clothes and wear traditional outfits on Fridays, has come to stay. This practice however relegates the wearing of traditional outfits to a particular occasion which should not be the case. In your quest to style yourself this year, I would recommend that you put traditional clothes as one of your top priorities. If you are thinking of how to achieve this, do not look any further. The blooming fashion industry in Ghana will give you a tall list if varieties to choose from. Now shoes, bags, scarves, suits, dresses, purses etc. have all been given an African twist. You do not have to wear your outfit in monochrome anymore. Add a little bit of a traditional cloth to your outfits to create something different yet acceptable in your line of work.

Add Some Style
So you may be wondering what I mean by style after talking about colour and African tradition. The thing is if you are not stylish, then you are not in vogue period! How do I mean? For example, the era of baggy jeans is gone. People would tend to think you are out of sync with fashion if you are seen wearing them today.

You may choose to ignore people’s opinion regarding your style. However, you cannot do that when it has to do with your work. Image is everything when it comes to business. That is why some sections of the corporate world are mandated to dress up a certain way. What image do you think you will be sending to your clients if you work in an industry that thrives on innovation and creativity and your clothes look like you shop in the 18th century? You got
that right!

So there you have it. This year, add some colour and tradition to your corporate outfit. But remember that your wardrobe will never be complete if it lacks the style to spice it up.

By Afua Safoa