Personal Branding Lessons from New York Fashion Week

  • 1 min read

Since moving to New York City in 2005, I’ve found that my favorite way to bring in my favorite season (fall) is with New York Fashion Week. The shows; the parties; the hair; the clothes — something about it just amazes me. I, like many other New Yorkers, put on a fashionable outfit (that I try to mirror off of some runway look) and participate in the festivities of Fashion Week. For the next few weeks I’m thinking about new styles and outfits and wondering “why don’t I do this all year round?” Why don’t I always care about wearing an outfit rather than just wearing clothes?

First impressions

Celebrities build half their brand on their clothing alone, and in my personal life I’ve noticed more and more that people’s styles are playing a stronger role in defining their image. I think I’d like to bring a little more fashion to my brand, too. After all, my style is an important part of my personal brand image. It’s something that can express who I am as an individual. It’s something I choose to customize every day as if to say, “this is who I am today.” I’m literally thinking about this over the next week, and I’m going to ask myself a few questions that you should ask yourself, too:

  1. How do my clothes portray my personality?
  2. What do I think about other people’s clothes?
  3. What do other people think about my clothes?
  4. Whose style of dress do I like?
  5. What style of dress is appropriate for my job?
  6. If I could wear anything to work today, what would I wear?

Fashion is something that gets people talking, and who doesn’t like a compliment? Positive press is always good. I don’t think people need to dress like runway models for work every day, but I certainly do believe that good can come from outwardly expressing your personal style. In some form or another every brand makes a fashion statement.

Picture of David Trahan

David Trahan

David Trahan is currently working at leading social marketing agency Mr Youth in New York, and previously held positions with the Ad Council, Goldman Sachs and others. He is a recent graduate of Pace University where he received many scholarships and awards and is now a mentor in their Alumni Mentor Program. David also serves as a member of the AD Club of New York Young Professionals Steering Committee.

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