Nowadays, and partly due to our more flexible and hybrid work environments, we pride ourselves on our casual and comfortable outfits in the office. But when entering any professional context, your appearance, attitude and behaviour can play a key role in the way people perceive you. Often giving you a competitive advantage. 

It’s easy to dismiss this as superficial, however, perhaps we should look less at how our clothes let others perceive us and more at how our clothes make us feel about ourselves and behave at work. 

Look good feel good

Workshop17 recently redesigned and reclothed their team’s work uniforms, bearing in mind the 3 main aspects of building positive self image, productivity and boosting morale. They were;

Aesthetics – Does the clothing appeal to the senses? This includes how comfortable and breathable your clothing is, and how it allows for free movement, which naturally boosts both work and social performance. 

Conformity – Is the style of clothing similar to what coworkers wear? Conformity has the biggest social influence, the more contact you have with other employees, the more this forms a sense of belonging and gives you a boost to interact with more people.

Uniqueness – Does the wearer view the piece as special? The uniqueness, when your teams looked good and that their clothing was different in some way, this improves self-esteem and makes them more confident and even goal-orientated.

If the Veldskoen fits

Workshop17 took their findings on the connection between one’s clothes, productivity and self-esteem and elevated this to put together a set of well-styled organisational branded clothing that should hit the mark on all aspects. 

This includes a partnership with Veldskoen Shoes, who are well known as the entrepreneurial casualwear brand of South Africa, in a way that is sustainable and trendy, and aligns with Workshop17’s social and environmental values. 

Penelope Meniere, Marketing Director of Workshop17 says, “We are big believers in offering our members opportunities to benefit from our many partnerships through networking or discounts. So it makes sense that after we saw the correlation between confidence and clothing that we designed something unique and appealing for our staff. Working in a beautiful workspace should only enhance how you already feel.”

While it might not be possible for every business to provide a stylised team kit, traditional managers would do well to remember the significant connection between feeling good in one’s threads and a more positive, proactive mindset. DM

By Andrea Desfarges on behalf of Workshop17

ABOUT WORKSHOP17: 

Workshop17 offers you fully serviced office space, flexible coworking options and meeting rooms in Cape Town, Johannesburg & Mauritius. Open 24/7. We currently have eight locations, growing to 12 in 2024. Individuals, teams and corporates, are all welcome.  www.workshop17.co.za