PERSONAL STYLE = PERSONAL BRANDING
- Aug 13, 2017
- 2 min read
Personal branding is a buzzphrase I've heard for quite some years now. With the impending entrance to the fashion industry, we were lectured on how to develop our personal brand. We were given a homework/experiment: to come in class with an outfit that reflects our personal brand. I chose a pyjama-style floral dress from Forever 21 (RIP Orchard flagship), white Charles & Keith slip-ons (My favourite shoe brand of all time), and silver butterfly earrings. I'm hopping into the trend bandwagon as well as deriving inspiration from Korean street style and album photoshoots. As for butterflies, well I had always had a fascination of them (like this painting, this scene, and this photoshoot).
So what does it say for my personal brand?
I was asked this question last class, but I felt like my response was more focused on what did my outfit-of-the-day say about me. I explained that I don't always follow trends, but more on choosing what I like. Others' opinions don't really matter for me. I mentioned my grandma as the inspiration of this style philosophy, and she does stand out from the crowd. It's kind of hard to blend in when you're wearing a custom-made batik dress with Balmain-esque shoulders decorated with mini pearls.
I actually asked a couple of friends on how they describe my style, and recalled some comments they made. Here are some of the responses:
Fancy
Japanese
Rapi, or literal translation 'neat' (Because I never wear flip flops, she added.)
"You change your style everyday"
A little add-on is my style favourites, for archival purposes:
Celebrities: Alexa Chung, Miranda Kerr, Lee Sung-kyung
Bloggers: Olivia Lazuardy, Willabelle Ong
Characters: Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl
To be frank, there are times when my choices were criticised (and sometimes for good reason!) It doesn't help that quirkier pieces fit me more. There was a time where my friends were all buying white Nike Air Max, but I got a palm-print Adidas ZX Flux (this is 2015 by the way, before the world's charts were flooded with tropical house music and local cafes opting for palm print wallpapers. Oh and my friends were totally cool with it since they are stunned that I even got sneakers at the first place so the design didn't even matter.) I'll be different, whatever. I'll choose what fits me better than what everyone else are wearing. Even more, I stay away from overly-mainstream pieces (that off-shoulder Zara top and Fenty-inspired sandals). When I buy something, I commit to it. I will not let a fashion piece decaying in a closet. I think that says a little bit on how much I take my responsibilities seriously.
I can be super feminine one day and opt for something edgier the next. The one thing you'll never see me wear is a piece that doesn't fit my personality. I'll blaze my own path, I tell myself. I have a story to tell - a lot of it, and I use my style to proclaim it to the world. It reflects my interests, my aspirations, my mood.
But ultimately - my personal style shows how much I love fashion, no matter what.
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