A tech fashion intervention

Fellas, what are you wearing to work?

By you, I mean young professionals in this new hybrid remote/office work landscape. The workers of Silicon Slopes.

One in every seven Utah jobs is in the tech sector. True, the overall industry has had a bit of a rough go lately, with 260,000 people losing their jobs in 2023, making it the worst year in the industry since the dot-com crash. But tech still looms large around here. And what the tech workers wear influences the rest of the workforce. Even those of us whose only proximity to technological innovation is a 6-year-old laptop. Even those of us who have never once purchased a digital currency.

But lately, the sartorial state of the average tech bro seems to be suffering. Or, at the very least, going through an identity crisis.

Not that it was ever quite thriving. Pre-pandemic, our local tech fashion could best be described as “chaotic.” Not East Coast, but not West Coast. Not trendy, but not classic. Not athletic, but not academic. An unnatural combination of frat house, new money and slovenliness. The message seems to be “I care way too much” or “I care way too little,” with only a few brave souls wearing anything in between.

For this wardrobe confusion, we can thank or blame the big names and big earners who appear in the news and on our screens in their designer shoes, flat-brimmed hats and expensive tees. You could call it bold. I call it wacky, but I say that with love.

On the other end of the style spectrum are the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world, people whose plain, boring tees seem to message “I, robot man, choose not to conform to conventional human frailties such as fashion.” And that’s certainly a choice.

The problem is, there’s a trickle-down fashion effect that has left the mid-level tech employee, who does not have a big name or big income or a computer algorithm for a brain, without much hope. This is not just a regional problem. It’s a national crisis.

Silicon Valley stylist Victoria Hitchcock told Vox, “Fitting in usually means subscribing to a style aesthetic — that is, wearing the Silicon Valley uniform, which consists of a plain T-shirt, jeans, and austere sneakers. Thousands of aspiring tech entrepreneurs mimic this look … in the hopes that they will eventually earn similar cachet.”

I’ve witnessed firsthand how the cachet-striving effect leads to personal style catastrophe. Tech conferences look like Anna Wintour’s recurring nightmare come to life. And there are just far too many flat-brimmed hats.

It could be worse, of course. We could be the Bay Area, which crawls with tech guys in fleece vests, collared shirts, Allbirds shoes and backpacks they got for free at trade shows. They are frequently spotted out in the wilds of Chipotle, chatting about Cyber Trucks and non-fungible tokens, to the chagrin of other Chipotle patrons.

But I’ve seen the Allbirds/fleece vest creep its way into my local Chipotle, and that has me concerned. And I’m not alone. As Tanner Guzy once wrote for Deseret News, “So much of what’s happening in Utah is innovative. People move from all over the world to be part of the unique culture of recreation, business, family and faith. We aren’t just the little brother to the Bay Area, so why do we act that way with our style?”

Is there any greater motivator for change than spite? Specifically spite against the Bay Area, with whom our tech community seems to have a long-standing beef for reasons entirely unclear to me. So let’s get out there and show them who can dress better.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting you abandon the drawers full of athleisure items you acquired during the pandemic. Speaking for myself, you can pry those buttery soft joggers from my cold, dead hands.

I’m just wondering if we can rebrand the tech uniform for those days when we’re required to leave the house and show our faces and style choices out in the world. Surely we can look better than our rivals to the west. It’s a low bar! I think we can do it!

And if copying the styles of titans is too difficult a habit to shirk, I have great news. Some of these titans are, too, reinventing themselves. Even Zuckerberg has made some style upgrades of late with a chain necklace and shearling jacket. I don’t think that’s a look that works for everyone — I’m not even sure it works for him — but at least there’s a unique point of view.

Which is what I hope for all of our techies. Even if that point of view is simply age appropriateness. Reasonably priced tees. Pants that simply fit correctly. Hats with normal brims. Authenticity, and individual style to help everyone feel their best at work.

That’ll show ‘em.