Society's Relationship with Workwear and How Casual Dress Could Rise to Society's Agenda

How Has Industrialisation Impacted Fashion for the Wearer When It Comes to Society at Large?

Society’s Relationship with Workwear and How Casual Dress Could Rise to Society’s Agenda 2019

Katie Hopkins 17073870 Fashion Promotion Level 5

How Has Industrialisation Impacted Fashion for the Wearer When It Comes to Society at Large?

Society’s Relationship with Workwear and How Casual Dress Could Rise to Society’s Agenda Dress Codes can be defined as fashion that demonstrates groups in society, occupation and class.

However, when describing codes of dress, problematic terms are tied closely with the subject due to research on power dressing, sexuality and performance in business environments. This paper will put forward the theories behind this type of dress, attempting to answer the statement posed: Society’s Relationship with Workwear and How Casual Dress Could Rise to Society’s Agenda.

The aim to investigate society’s view on workwear, whilst challenging casual dress codes and it’s benefit to society, can be broken down by objectives the researcher will base their findings upon.

These are as follows; to research dress codes’ impact on society in the past, to analyse problematic areas of dress in a workplace, discover how the public in present day feel about dressing for work and evaluate the future of dress codes.

Methods used further will contain, but are not limited to, primary research; collecting a sample of information regarding casual dress, words from secondary sources; to be compared with researchers own findings, and case studies; linking back to present day. The basis of the secondary sources and reading analysed in response to the research question revolves around Entwistle’s The Fashioned Body (2015), this text provides her views and contemporary responses to complex literature from theorists such as Flügel and Wilson. The paper also includes words from Husain’s The Skills (2018) and Barnard’s Fashion as Communication (2002). Key terminology and ideas used throughout the paper such as codes of dress, conformity, subjectivity and gender, will be used to describe and evaluate how casual dress’ influence on work environments can be studied.

Due to the changing normality of society reformed by younger generations who pose new ideas for dress codes, the topic of casual dress becoming elevated in online literature, needed to be explored in the contexts of theorists, the past, present and future. The researcher needed to acquire knowledge of these key themes, discussed further in the text, to form a considered understanding and an indepth account of this evolving central topic becoming apparent in the present day.

With the future of work environments speculated but not entirely known, the boost of the creative industry and the technological revolution shifting systems of business and labour, the potential for lenient dress codes are probable. When wearing dress outside of the work environment, ‘55% of US

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consumers were wearing the same clothes both casually and for exercise’, further suggesting, with changes in views towards this specific type of clothing, workwear would also be likely to evolve (Kelter, 2019:online). Within this change, moving forward through the ideal of clones in society, dressed in groups, portraying our membership to economic structure, ideals and values will come to importance through sociological approaches to dress, enabling individuality and distinctions between tastes and shared messages (Barnard, 2002; Entwistle, 2015; Godart, 2012).

The Past In the experience of the researcher, dress codes have forever been an unquestionable part of life, distinguishing the teacher from the caretaker, the doctor from the receptionist or the CEO from the sales advisor. These codes provided a simplistic solution to achieve conventional stereotypes and a language people across the world could read without difficulty. The past has a key role in understanding how dressing for work

evolved,

providing

foundations

to

fundamental style in the present day. By Figure 1: A Brief History of Workwear (Source: Glusac, 2019:online)

discussing past traditions and changes in times

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bygone, one can start to unfold the complex formality history lived by and uncover distinctive labels.

Dress Codes and Problematic Customs Dressing up for work, the norm in the immediate 20th Century workplace, saw ‘groups encouraging competition for hierarchy and status, therefore fixed images of class began to fade away’ a clear shift from the 19th Century in which most ‘uniforms and selected styles offered the appearance of class distinctions…[which] were

clearly detectable’ (Entwistle, 2015:115). ‘The Great Masculine Renunciation by Flügel’ (1930, cited in Entwistle, 2015:153) played a vital part in the unfolding of symbolic codes men live by, maybe subconsciously in present day, where ‘man abandoned his claim to be considered beautiful. He henceforth aimed at being only useful’.

Women, on the other hand, did not progress in the same way men were free to evolve in codes set by society. Still sexual objects with no power in the forefront of businesses ‘women’s clothing and fashions were still largely frivolous and decorative, not at all suitable to partake in the active bustling worlds of commerce and industry’ (Barnard, 2002:125). From the authors’ findings, it is clear why the late 20th Century woman could only then be seen developing a career for oneself, and even so, enforcement of sexist uniform was still evident, where trousers still were not widely worn in office environments in the 1980s. Hence the common employment of power dressing in women’s professional attire.

Power Dressing and Subjectivity An idea responding to lack of professional progression, power dressing is tied closely with liberating women, providing means to excel up the career ladder. This concept connects sexuality and dress, formality and masculinity, either playing on the disjuncture between gender and performance, or a strategy ‘for acting on the self in order to ‘dress for success’’ (Entwistle, 2015:26).

Figure 2: Power dressing (Source: Vogue, 2018:online)

The Fashioned Body provided useful references for theories

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surrounding power dressing, even so, these are indisputably problematic, as dress should not be conformed to rules created by men, restricting women of power originally. They should, however, offer a means in which education, intelligence and progression remove themselves from fashion. Barnard (2002:122) quoted the interesting statement ‘Similarly, there is no natural connection between a business-like and serious manner, on the one hand padded shoulders and hemlines ending around the knee, on the other’ exploring the approach further and suggesting dress is divorced from aptitude in a psychological perspective but not in our fixed society. Femininity can be

used as a sign of weakness, sex and in most circumstances ‘women may have to think more carefully about how they appear in public than men…how women experience public spaces such as offices, boardrooms, quiet streets at night, is likely to be different to how men experience them’. Suggesting ‘spaces are gendered’ illustrates, even in everyday life, subjectivity is more than just the way people act or consider but in how society has been built in literal terms (Entwistle, 2015:34).

How Does Society Behave on a Whole?

Overall, we can see society slowly shifting and breaking through the flaws in dress codes and normal fashions on the streets. Nonetheless, most are members of a group that do not question normality and persist to be received as conforming. Following primary research on Workwear in Society it could be seen, disregarding whether they wore a dress in the workplace, 45% agreed that the clothing they wear to work does not affect their performance shown in Figure 3. Further blurring the ideals of strict dress codes and questioning their existence in the first place.

Barnard (2002:112) argues ‘clothing and uniform reproduce the institutions, practices, products and class positions of capitalist everyday life’. Lurie offered the following proposition and emphasises this point in The Language of Clothes, implying uniform is worn to censor the wearer in a way in which the decision maker decides what the uniform tells the world, and can be amplified by all the wearers in uniform, then shouting the same message (Lurie, 1992, cited in Barnard, 2002:78). This demonstrates the control rooted in our institutions and predominately indicates the reason behind dress codes is not for the wearers’ benefit, but the political forces and corporations that utilize them (Entwistle, 2015:23).

Introduction to Casual Dress ‘Identity’, ‘individuality’ and ‘authenticity’ are all buzz words of the moment. Whilst fashion is used widely to signify identity and separate oneself from others, class still is subject to control. In workwear, ‘many occupations within working or lower classes prescribe a uniform or lay down clear rules of dress’ but for those of a higher class in a more prestigious and powerful professional environment,

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Figure 3: Question 2 (see Appendix)

uniform, professional attire or smart casual

Figure 4: Question 3 (see Appendix)

‘looser codes of dress… are left up to the individual to interpret’ (Entwistle, 2015:51).

Figure 4, question 3 in the primary survey, illuminates these statements and highlights that we could look up to ‘looser codes of dress’ to be associated with a higher class, or again in order to validate our authenticity at work. In this study, 58% of survey respondents would prefer a casual dress code, hence the change of views in society and the growing younger workforce. The survey respondents felt younger generations were 90% more likely to adopt casual dress in their work environment, explaining the change generations can impact upon society in order to improve their quality of life (see ‘Question 6’ in the Appendix).

In summary, by researching into past theories; in regard to gender, class and codes, we can gather some sort of view on how problematic these terms have been viewed in occupational environments.

It is clear to see the oppression towards women and the struggle they face at work, but also how times have changed for the better and continue to adapt through change of generations. To improve analysis, looking into the future of work and growing studies on performance and wellness, will develop the understanding casual dress has on the body and fulfil the objectives set by the researcher.

The Future Focussing now on the future, the research from civilisations past, changes the now present day, building on technologies society could have never imagined existing. Moving forward, it is crucial to evaluate businesses relationships with employees, how dress plays a part in the 21st Century and in what

‘Organizations today appear to have an unprecedented window of opportunity to shape what ultimately becomes the future of work’ (Anderson et al., 2019)

way technology taking over, changes the way we think about clothing. It is also important to note how mental health concerns ‘64% of UK employees’ that struggle ‘with a workplace stress epidemic’, thus wellbeing being encouraged in everyday lives and in the place of work (Ingham, 2018:online).

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Future Job Environments So, what does the future look like? Artificial intelligence and advances in the tech industry mean certain jobs can become automated, plus the growth of creative industries is projected, but how does fashion play a part in the changing landscape of the occupational industry? Wilson (2007 cited in Entwistle, 2015:118) explains ‘fashion becomes central to the experience of the modern city’ which is supported by Thrive (Holmes, 2018:online) that clarify ‘the culture of work is changing… companies encourage staffers to bring their whole selves to work – and people embrace style repeats and “personal uniforms”’.

Google (no date a), a company that already triumph in this area, also create their offices to be an inspiration for their employees, promoting community and productivity. With the use of massage rooms, free meals in micro kitchens, cooking classes and gyms, they excel at creating a perfect worklife balance with innovative interior design that maximises creativity (Workspace Design, 2016).

Ultimately, the absence of a dress code for such a worldwide corporation like Google, emphasises the lack of place they have in today’s work environment.

Even

‘certain

CEOs

of

major

corporations, including Microsoft’s Bill Gates… have been known to appear without

ties

or

even

wearing

sweatshirts at interviews and formal gatherings’ (Payton, 2016:online).

Figure 5: Dublin Office. (Google, no date b:online)

Generation Z will become the vast majority of professionals, with millennials already taking up the job market, society changes with each set of new employees. For example, 4-day working has been on the news, aiming to provide a more productive life at work, if people know they have an extra day at home. Camille Pagila (cited in Husain, 2018:19) embodied this idea by stating ‘Each generation must create its own reality and find its own identity’, referring to the work environment, these shifts society is experiencing is nothing more than the generations making their mark, on what is soon to be their world. Dress codes are also a significant subject to this change, as ‘Millennials are now the largest portion of the workforce, and they've worked in more casual environments their whole careers ... so

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expectations of what constitutes professional clothes have changed’, altering the scape for the generation moving in after them as a result (Cenedella, cited in Leary, 2017:online).

Comfort and Wellness Looking after the body has adopted new meaning in the past 5 years, as wellbeing, happiness, fulfilment and mindfulness have taken over book charts, brand values and ways to tackle anxiety. Care of the body moves away from physical health, towards mental health and personal growth to distinguish new definitions of what it means to be well. On the other hand, Entwistle (2015:19) proposes ‘Personal fulfilment is pinned on the degree to which our bodies conform to contemporary stands of health and beauty’ also, creating an unhealthy representation in the form of outer presentation and attraction. Meaning the body, if not strong-minded, is persuaded to dress a particular way influenced by trends, influencers and brands.

Even so, conforming in a work environment Figure 6: Question 4 (see Appendix)

could be seen as an easier task, set with a dress code or uniform to stick to, and where wellbeing is concerned ‘Dr Jennifer Baumgartner, psychologist and author of You are what you wear’ (cited in Forbes, 2017:online) proclaims ‘Changing your outfit

after

work

is

a

concrete

representation that you are not in work mode any more’, therefore suggesting it helps your mind adjust to a different situation and ‘decompress’, not bearing the strain of problems at work outside the office.

Entwistle (2015:51) challenges this idea in The Fashioned Body by exploring the problems with decisions on dress. Proposing the entire experience of deciding on workwear and deliberating if the outfit is suitable for work, what others would think from the dress or whether it portrays an aesthetic they were not wanting it to, for example, power dressing, can take up significant energy.

Recommending the time taken could be used more wisely if they wore casual attire and accordingly what they felt comfortable in, without the ‘financial burden’ or pressure to ‘uphold restrictive beauty standards’ as Stacy Kong from Flare concurs (2018:online). Correspondingly, pressure on outfit choices for some, is also evident in Figure 6, shown above.

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Is Casual Dress Sustainable for Business To elaborate, workwear, even if society pushes for change, could be used subconsciously to dress for power. As women in professional environments are still more inclined to be conscious of themselves in places of work because ‘careers are still male dominated, and, for some women attempting to climb the ladder in particular institutions, it is important to attend to the body and dress very carefully so as to 'manage' or limit the potential sexuality of their bodies’ (Entwistle, 2015:32). Husain (2018:9)

‘Gender pay gaps illustrate the paucity of women in higher paid roles while equal pay claims raise questions about how they are perceived and valued in comparison to male colleagues’ (Husain, 2018:11)

identifies the need for change and implies society needs to create sustainable ideas about women and their advancements to be comparable with men in society, including the closing of the gender pay gap. In relation to dress, if women were more comfortable, in regard to feminist theory, more equal, they would feel more content in the workplace.

Codes of dress could be the trigger for this occurrence due to increased function of clothing, comfort in their work environment and subsequently a positive attitude towards work and colleagues, creating a better situation for all. A research study by Timothy Franz and Steven Norton (2001:81:online) suggested casual dress codes could ‘eliminate communication barriers between employees and managers, and subsequently improve attitudes and performance’, therefore, the important issue overall is the wellness of the public working in society, and what has been discussed is the first step towards a more profound understanding of the issue on a whole.

To summarise the research found in the last section The Future, it is clear the topic of casual dress is one that needs more development. However, analysing the key problems towards uniformity and codes of dress, there is a perspicuous explanation as to why society has begun to adapt to a new approach. Although some areas of occupation cannot shift from uniforms, the ‘situations which demand clear codes of dress…. [such like] law, insurance…finance’ and those in the public sector may be fixed, that isn’t to say they would not benefit from a casual code becoming more socially acceptable (Entwistle, 2015:16). In the future, creating a content workforce of employees that do not need power dressing or socially ‘appropriate’ attire to be influential and/or professional.

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Conclusion To conclude, the aim of the paper was to investigate society’s view on workwear and understand the evolution of dress codes and casual dress in professional environments. Objectives one and two (to research dress codes impact on society in the past, to analyse problematic areas of dress in a workplace) were achieved in the first section The Past. By looking into historical codes of dress in the 19th and 20th century, it was clear to see a major change in the representation of genders. However, it also suggested codes of dress were never for the benefit of the wearer, and therefore, the ‘dress’ was not necessary or beneficial for mental health in the long term. Furthermore, it was clear to see how other problem areas, not directly linking to dress, upset fashions and shows how society can impact fashion on a large scale.

These findings create a wider understanding of society’s happiness in the workplace and positive view towards casual dress, fulfilling the final two objectives that discussed the place these codes have in a professional environment. Indeed, there are limitations to the research found, the primary study was taken from a small group of people which could be reproduced on a larger scale. Even so, as industrialisation and continued development of the industrial world effects dress in many ways, illustrated in the paper above, the study was needed as the development of different markets change the landscape for these uniforms and codes in the year 2019. Correspondingly, the analysation of the topic was therefore accurate, in regard to the primary study. A new approach is also needed for Generation Z entering the workplace and so, recommend a wider study based on this specific demographic. As Entwistle (2015:109) reveals ‘In such a world as this, fashion takes on new significance; it is the means by which people negotiate their identity, move through the city unnoticed (or noticed, depending on the style) and comes to serve as 'armour' protecting the individual’, meaning dress is no longer just used to adorn, but to generate emotion, express authenticity and aid comfort and communication likewise.

Word Count: 3185

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Barnard, M. (2002) Fashion as Communication. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.

Entwistle, J. (2015) The Fashioned Body. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Franz, T and Norton, S. (2001) ‘Investigating business casual dress policies: Questionnaire development and exploratory research.’ Applied HRM Research, 6(2) 79-94. [Online] [Accessed on 12th April 2019] https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/psychology_facpub/5/?utm_source=fisherpub.sjfc.edu%2Fpsychology_facpub%2F5 &utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages Glusac, M. (2019) How the way we dress for work has changed over the past 100 years. Insider. [Online] [Accessed on 15th April 2019] https://www.thisisinsider.com/how-the-way-we-dress-for-work-has-changed2019-2 Godart, F. (2012) Unveiling Fashion. 1st ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan UK. Google. (no date a) Google Careers. [Online] [Accessed on 12th April 2019] https://careers.google.com/locations/.

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Kelter, D. (2019) You heard it here first: Predicting a casual society. Mintel. [Online] [Accessed on 12th April 2019] https://www.mintel.com/blog/consumer-market-news/you-heard-it-here-first-predicting-a-casualsociety.

Kong, S. (2018) The Problem With Retail Dress Codes. Flare. [Online] [Accessed on 12th April 2019] https://www.flare.com/fashion/dress-codes-for-retail-stores/.

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Payton, M. (2016) Why ignoring the dress code could make you better at your job. The Independent. [Online] [Accessed on 12th April 2019] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ignore-office-dresscode-wear-casual-clothes-for-job-success-career-harvard-study-suggests-a7213326.html.

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Appendix A primary survey was carried out titled, ‘Workwear in Society’. This survey had 60 total responses, 58 completed responses and a completion rate of 97%. The results are as follows.