Do Brands Define Style?

I was recently interviewed by a friend of mine as part of his masters in Marketing. The interview was about whether or not brand loyalty plays a part in what we purchase. This began a thought process which centered on what defines our style, whether or not our style is centered around what brands are popular, current fashion trends and do we buy certain clothes solely based on the fact that there’s a name attached to them.As a society we’ve become so commercialised and brand-orientated that we buy items just because of the name associated with them. We’re all striving to fit into what society deems trendy at a certain period in time. If you walk through campus you see a lot of people wearing the same style of clothes, this leads me to wonder that as a society have we lost our sense of individuality.Lauren Hutton, who’s graced the front cover of Vogue magazine once said

Fashion is what you’re offered four times a year’ by designers, Style is what you choose

This statement, for me, allows for us to express our true individuality. It gives us back our liberty. To be truly stylish we need to exercise our ability and privilege of choice. I’ve always been a firm believer that our style is an extension of who we are as people. Your own personal style is the type of person you want the world to view you as. To say that brands dictate your style is to say that a certain brand defines you as a person.Another misconception which I think is prevalent today is that fashion trends dictate style. Style is not meant to fade. It’s meant to be the constant thing in your life. Your style evolves as you age, It never fades, it never dies but it grows as you do. It’s not defined by fashion trends but rather your own personality influences the fashion trends. Rather than buying into the “fast fashion” craze, look for statement pieces that express your own individuality and lets your own personal style evolve.My personal style is that of a dapper individual. It’s how I feel inside, I love the attention to detail in men’s tailoring, it suits me and it expresses what I want the world to see. My personal style is still evolving and I’m loving where it’s going.[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="6704,6703,6701,6702"]Gianni Versace put it best

Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live