Web 2.0 Fashion
June 17th, 2009 (Culture)Fashion has typically been ignored by geeks, nerds and the like in the past. However, now that so many startup companies these days revolve around technology (either as a product or a service), they often have young/hip CEOs that don’t wear the traditional suit and tie that has been the staple of business professionals for so long. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of Web 2.0 styles.
The first example comes from a tweet that Jason Calacanis (the CEO of a few startups himself) made on June 1st, 2009. He tweeted, “Web 2.0 uniform: blue blazer, pressed white shirts, dark jeans, black ankle-high boots. #cmsummit @fredwilson @johnbattelle” and referred to the image shown to the left of Fred Wilson and John Battelle. Fred is a blogger and venture capitalist that has invested in companies such as Twitter, Etsy and Feedburner. John was one of the founders of Wired Magazine and is a published tech writer/journalist. While they are a little older than some of their fellow CEOs in the web sphere, they give off that look that says (as one commenter of this photo put it), “I care, but not that much.”
Another way that fashion has been influenced by Web 2.0 (post dot-com bubble) is in the prints that go on t-shirts. T-shirts have always been a way to express your personality and silently share a message with all who read them. Twitter alone has spurned a whole new wave of T-shirt designs. Threadless for example has a section of their online store devoted to “Twitter Tees”. They even have a contest for best tweets to put on a T-shirt.
As a side note, it’s interesting that in the pre dot-com era, the media often portrayed computer geeks as either rebels or losers and dressed them to fit those stereotypes. The rebels were “cyberpunks” and the freeloaders looked like hobos. Hackers (1995) is a great portrayal of the cyberpunk style. Motorcycle jackets, tight-fitting pants and crazy hair styles were all a part of this teen subculture. Take a look at the portrayal of Bill Gates in Pirates of Silicone Valley (1999) or Alex Lowe in Takedown (2000).
My Web 2.0 style? I keep it pretty simple with my chuck taylors, jeans, and maybe the occasional white button-up shirt. What’s yours?
I think you care, but not that much:):)
I’m with Mom =) Although, I’d just like to point out that I’ve been saying geeks are cool for years!