Following Fashion Trends vs Starting Your Own Trend for Your Personal Brand
The world is moving towards a freelancer economy and the typical 9-5 is slowly fading out as a result of our evolving lifestyle in this modern day and age. With that said, people are more on guard or conscious about their personal appearance because you never know when you’ll become viral or find yourself in that moment or opportunity you’ve been desiring.
We all had to start somewhere, and for some of us, we are thriving being the fore person and face of a brand. But when it comes to your personal brand, this should be near and dear to who you are. That’s why it is important to dive into the topic for this article.
As a personal style consultancy that helps you bridge who you are with suitable wear that adds value to you, our goal is to drive you to the point where your personal style aligns with your personality and lifestyle. Since our focus is on long-term results, we don’t support our clients to patronize fast fashion because it isn’t sustainable and it doesn't address the root problem that keeps reoccurring. Rather, we educate our clients and community on how to prioritize their individuality and focus on personal style development to achieve a seamless dressing experience in the long run.
Fast fashion trends are for staying current in a cheap way and that gets in the way while you’re trying to build an authentic personal brand. When you are aiming to elevate your personal brand with your everyday fashion wear, it’s important to know what works for you then develop your own trend (you are your own celebrity right? So create that trend).
Here are 3 things to consider when creating your own trend for your personal brand while dressing.
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LIFESTYLE
This is the first thing to consider to put you on the right path. Your lifestyle will determine the type of clothing that mostly suits your activities. If your lifestyle requires you to be in meetings daily, then it will be a smart move to invest in more clothing and accessories that suit that environment.
Let’s take as an instance, you’re a successful chartered accountant with a schedule that requires you to be in physical meetings with a lot of travelling, your personal style should be a reflection of your lifestyle and values.
The consciousness of your lifestyle would influence your choices when it comes to your appearance and personal style in general.
CLOSET
Mikara Reid while consulting with her clients on wardrobe management would always say “The clothes in your closet should look like family members”. This simply means, they should complement each other and you should be able to create several combinations from them. The close family members are clothing items that you use regularly and distant cousins are those items that you wear on special occasions.
Closet Management
Learning how to manage your closet is an important skill that will save you a lot of time and keep you miles away from wardrobe panic. A well organized closet no matter how many clothes are in there will keep you inspired whenever you need a quick pick, unlike a poorly organized closet that can immediately send you to panic mode. Miien Consultancy offers the Miien Closet Plan, a service for professionals who don’t have sufficient time to ensure their wardrobe is organized in a way that takes off the stress from their daily dressing experience.
SHOPPING
There are a lot of tricks clothing stores use to get you to like an outfit and want to buy it, so if you go shopping without a clear goal in mind, you may end up with a lot of clothing items that you don’t need. Remember that when you need to go grocery shopping, you create a list of items that you need so your focus can be channeled to the items that you actually need. Same thing applies to shopping for clothing, think about how many times you bought a clothing item just because you really liked it at the moment and didn’t give much thought to whether it was necessary, only to get home and pack it up with the rest of the clothing you never get to use – because of your lifestyle.
Here are some important things you must understand if you’re going to start shopping effectively.
Your Body Type
Most of us at one point or the other have purchased a clothing item that looked great on a mannequin, we imagined it would fit exactly the same way on us and went ahead to buy it. Or you saw an outfit on your friend or a colleague and imagined it would fit the same way. Only to get the item delivered, and tried it on at home in utter disappointment. The truth is that we all come in different shapes and sizes and that’s what makes us all unique. Understanding what doesn’t flatter your body type and what does will help you look the other way each time you’re tempted to buy an outfit just because it looks good on a hanger or mannequin. Understanding your body type will help you focus on shopping for items that showcase you in the best way each time you show up.
Your Color Palette
Just the same way we come in different shapes and sizes, we also come in different shades of complexion, even inside our different races. This means each one of us have a color range or palette that suits our skin tone perfectly. Style Consultant, Mikara Reid has tons of videos on Tik-tok and YouTube that give ideas or possibilities on color combinations, picking the right colors for different occasions and very importantly, how to combine colors correctly to create a coherent look.
When you’ve mastered what works for you, it’s easy for you to become a trendsetter, even in your shopping experience. This way, you can save more money and energy as you invest only in clothing items that showcase your best self.
CONFIDENCE AND PERFORMANCE
Investing in a physical appearance that brings out the best of yourself definitely takes time and effort. At Miien Consultancy, we believe that self confidence is the pulse of fashion and it directly impacts your performance.
Functionality of Clothing
Functionality in clothing simply refers to how a clothing item helps you remain comfortable, even under extreme conditions. Dressing up is beyond the aesthetics, it goes deeper than making you look good to also making you feel good which affects your confidence.
Yes, we see celebrities pull off some looks at the met gala and other notable red carpets, in clothing that sometimes barely allow them breathe, but that isn’t what we’re trying to achieve here, especially if you don’t plan to carry a glam team everywhere you go. So, in setting your own trends, you always have to consider the functionality of the clothing. You can start by asking yourself, “can I sit comfortably for long without messing up the garment?” or “can I comfortably raise my arm without the outfit twisting?” Because at the end of the day, this factor will affect your confidence and your performance.
Looking for worthwhile fashion trends for the year 2025? Mikara Reid breaks down her observations from the Spring Summer 2025 Runway events, featuring different fashion brands and analyzing some trends that are potentially going to be featured in the coming year.
If you’re ready to discover your fashion identity and start making a statement with your personal style, the book ‘What’s Your Miien! ?’ by Mikara Reid is the perfect fashion guide to help you elevate your personal style and boost your confidence. Sign-up to MIIEN Styling Newsletter for updates about podcast, article releases, FAQ & a personal stylist's answers and perks.
