Nearly 3/4 of UK millennials believe dressing professionally means you are taken more seriously in the workplace.
A recent survey by Savile Row Company, London-based tailors of fine shirts and suits, found that millennials think it is vital to be perceived as professional at work, with 77% saying that dressing smartly means you are taken more seriously. In addition, only 7% of millennials believe dressing comfortably or fashionably is more important.
Professional clothing expert, Sophie Green, explains: “I have always been of the opinion that first impressions count in the workplace; for city workers the key will be to dress smartly and appropriately.
Following fashion trends is less applicable in corporate roles, instead I’d recommend investing in good tailoring be that a suit, tailored dress or similar. Whilst I believe that casual wear is becoming more commonplace in city roles (ties are less prevalent for example) I think when dressed smartly half the battle is already won.”
Clothes Bring Confidence
56% of millennials think their office would benefit from a smarter dress code and Jeffrey Doltis, owner and MD of the Savile Row Company, is not surprised by the results. “We have certainly seen an increase in sales of our casual clothing, however sales of formal shirts & suits has remained steady across all age groups. We have a large proportion of loyal, repeat customers which certainly goes to show that good tailoring never goes out of style!”
Additionally, a recent study by researchers from Penn State, Notre Dame and the University of Kentucky found wearing nicer clothes can indeed make you more successful. Frank Germann, Ph.D, an assistant professor of marketing at Notre Dame University Mendoza College of Business, said: “Some people have a power suit that they put on for important presentations, or they have some special cufflink that they put on to bring them luck.”
Results showed that those who believed they were wearing branded clothing performed 20% better and made them more confident in their job role. This suggests millennials could be correct in believing better dress equals higher success and with 53% of over 45 year olds agreeing, we should dress for the job we are aiming for.
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
