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How to be an INC
Branding yourself is a little harder getting a tattoo with your name and the letters “INC”, but we’ve got your back. By Bourree Lam.
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Why become part of someone else’s brand when you can be your own? All it takes a little bit of touchy feely “get to know yourself” and a fashion statement that you can commit to.
Step 1: Who am I?
Image consultant Sonia Samtani says that for a signature item or style to work, it has to say something strong about who you are: “It has to represent who you are. Everything you do, everything you wear, needs to be congruent with your personality.” Otherwise you’ll just look like a poser and people won’t hesitate to call you a phoney.
Step 2: Decide what you want to communicate
After the self-exploration phase, figure out what you want to say. Do you want to tell the world that you’re traditional? Sexy? Artistic? “What do you want to be known for? For example, if it’s sex appeal, Cindy Crawford is known for her mole, which accentuates her mouth,” explains Samtani. Hong Kong artist Stanley ‘Anothermountainman’ Wong is never seen without his black rimmed Windsor glasses, which stand out as a creative nod to John Lennon.
Step 3: Find a special item that looks amazing on you
“If people wear something well, of course they’ll want to wear it all the time, and it becomes part of their look,” says stylist Denise Ho. It’s important to pick an item that looks absolutely fabulous on you, because you’ll have to wear it all the time for it to become your signature. Make sure you pick an item that stands out; it needs to be irregular and distinct. This can be hard, and Samtani suggests picking your favourite physical feature first, then figuring out what this item could be. For women, since fashion is so transient, they tend to pick a hairstyle and stick to it – as the bob a la Anna Wintour.
Step 4: Wear it all the time
A signature item is not the latest LV that you’ll toss out when next season’s stock comes out. You’ve got to be consistent no matter the tides; it only becomes your signature if you stick to it and wear it so much that no photos of you on Facebook are without it. And when you have reached this enlightened state, people will know it as you and they will be shocked to see you without it.
Read our other fashion features:
Build your own brand
The best upper-floor stores
Upper-floor shopping
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