“Impossible is nothing,” goes the slogan of Adidas, the iconic sports brand. I’m sure most of you would have recognised the product even if it were unnamed, thanks to this phrase. It was somewhere in the 1970s that the brand got associated with this slogan, borrowed from boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Erich Stamminger, member of the Executive Board of Adidas-Salomon AG, describes “Impossible is Nothing” as a brand and an attitude that is “known and shared by all athletes around the world...”
A slogan represents the brand and carries the significant responsibility of conveying crisply what you want the brand to stand for. Now, what if you were creating your own brand? What would you want YOU to stand for? And what would your path-breaking slogan be?
Identify your brand
Building your own brand is a key part of building your career and leaving an indelible impression in the minds of people you interact with in your professional life. In this exercise, choosing two to three top qualities about yourself which you would like to highlight becomes key. That would be the foundation to build your brand upon. For instance, is it your strategic thinking? Creativity? People skills? Your ability to execute ideas? Once you have identified the core of your brand, you can start building a plan to promote or socialise it. Your social media profile, the way you present yourself in day-to-day communication, how you greet others, speak on the phone, write your emails, what you wear — these are all part of your brand. I have discussed some key elements of social media and emails in this space. Today, let’s discuss wardrobe. We can all agree that when it comes to our wardrobe reflecting our own respective personal brands, we don’t have to go in for the most expensive clothes. It’s all about smart, efficient, clean and simple cuts.
FOR EDUCATION PLUS :COIMBATORE OCT 28.Group discussion,Jansons School of Management. Photo:K_Ananthan.(Digital image).
Formal wear
Once we move into our career days, we need to sometimes conform to accepted norms of formal wear. Both women and men are expected to demonstrate professionalism in their choice of wardrobe.
In most corporate organisations in India, formal wear constitutes full-sleeved shirts and formal trousers for men. Sometimes, depending on the role, a jacket and tie become necessary. But many companies are moving away from a mandatory tie, except, perhaps, on certain days of the week. Classic colours are usually white, corporate blue, grey and so on for shirts, while trousers are meant to be in dark shades of brown, grey, blue or just black. Of course, styles keep changing. Shoes must be polished while socks should complement the overall attire, never calling attention to them.
For women, though the “rules” are slightly more relaxed, norms still apply. When it comes to western formal wear, more or less the same trends apply. Of course, the choice extends to knee-length formal skirts and dresses in pleasing colours. Patterns or designs should be mild. Shoes are meant to be closed-toe if the chosen attire is western. Indian formals are usually saris and salwar kameez. The fabric could be crisp cotton or silk as long as the garment is manageable. When choosing salwar kameez, choose appropriate colours and patterns. Open-toed footwear is fine for Indian wear. In some companies, Fridays are kept for smart casuals.
Of course, in certain sectors — advertising or cinema or creative, product-oriented companies — casuals are an accepted norm. Jeans, T-shirts, slacks are all ok. But in all this, the overriding question remains: While following the dress code of organisations, what is the brand you are establishing or the image you are creating about yourself in the choice of your clothes? It may seem a bit shallow to stress so much on how you look — after all, appearances are deceptive. But dressing is a fine art and the function of art is to make appearance significant and add value to your presence.
The author is a writer and literary journalist. She also heads Corporate Communications at UST Global. Twitter: @anupamaraju
