(本文翻譯自 陳冲 後疫情時代的職場服裝 2021-09-29)
Just earlier this month on Sep. 4th, Speaker of the House of Common, Lindsay Hoyle, stated that he had updated the “Rules of behavior and courtesies in the House of Commons” and demanded MPs that their dress should reflect the “privilege” of their position. Members are expected to wear business attire and garments such as jeans, chinos, sportswear or any other casual trousers are not allowed. This is to reflect the phenomenon that during the pandemic, MPs tended to dress casually when attending online meetings. As the session continues in September, the Speaker proposed the new regulations. In fact, in December last year, Jeremy Hunt, Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, was rebuked by Speaker for not wearing tie and having top button undone, and Labor MP Tracy Brabin also provoked a maelstrom of commentary for her bare-shouldered appearance. Public opinion think that these two events indirectly led to the new regulation this time.
I remembered that in 1981 when I was on a business trip in New York, the head of an american bank, who wore suits daily, surprisingly wore casual clothes to work and meetings on Fridays. He explained that company stipulates that colleagues who donate more than one dollar on Friday can dress casually, which could show that they have made some contributions to public welfare. The trend gradually evolved into Wall Street’s Casual Friday and that JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in US, suddenly loosened clothing regulations and allowed business-casual in 2016 even made the headlines. However, those top people in the American financial industry still dare not be casual, wearing formal suits, which stands in contrast to people in Silicon Valley where jeans style is now all the rage.
As the pandemic ravaged the world, many companies have adopted off-site work, work from home or remote work policy. Video conferencing is even more common and thus fewer face-to-face occasions. People’s requirement for clothing are not as strict as before. Some people even dress formal in upper body while barefoot in shorts in lower body attending online meeting. During the pandemic, there are two clothing companies in Japan producing WFH Jammies, which have upper body suits and lower body loose like pajama pants, became very popular. The influence has caused Mark & Spencer, the UK brand, to announce that it will not sell complete suits in the store for the time being.
Suits is actually a product of austerity Britain. In 1665, to simplify the dress, King Charles II ordered to design clothes that are easy to wear without losing solemnity, and thus we have suits today. Some people think that suits are cumbersome now but they don’t know that it’s actually a kind of casual clothes then. As time changes, today’s suits may continue to become even more simplified.
Some people may think that the quality of work is more important while clothes and wearing seem less vital. While, someone loves the sheep while the other loves the ceremony (the story in the Analects of Confucius). Requirements for dressing differ so we don’t need to despise partners who dress differently. But from another point of view, if office is a ritual, one’s dressing somehow reflects his or her respect for the job or even the career. Appropriate clothing (not necessarily a suit) can be seen as a symbol of profession, and even in some industries, it can also mean the commitment to accomplishing the mission, such as military uniforms. Of course, it’s more important to have ideals in mind and understand why to fight. Look at the clothes of the Army of Afghanistan and the Taliban, we can see that the inner belief to fight is far more crucial than external military uniforms.
Whether before or after the pandemic, seeing friends in the financial industry wearing suit with tie and Oxford shoes made people feel confident. But long-term confidence still relies on professional financial services and ethics. After all, tuxedos can’t not make up for the occasional scandals of embezzling clients’ assets. When I gave a speech at the Bankers Association in 2013, I suggested that under the trend of Fintech, we should increase cooperation among Fin and Tech. That is, the risk management in the financial industry and the innovation in the tech industry. I believe that this kind of prioritizing stability while pursuing progress characteristic will eventually be reflected in the clothing and even services of the financial industry.
(Released on Appacus Foundation website, Sep.29th 2021)