Sunday, May 31, 2009

First Step to Stepping out to the real world


I, like many of my peers, am graduating from UC Davis. Out in the professional world, one needs the proper clothing to succeed in interviews and corporate America in general. This type of dress, for males like myself, comes in the form of a suit. The only problem with dressing professionally is that suits are quite a monetary investment. This poses a difficulty for many who graduate and head into the real world. They are usually already in debt and cannot spare the high investment of buying multiple suits, or even one for that matter. The national retailer, Men's Wearhouse, has come up with a solution for this problem. The campaign "dedicated to empowering unemployed men by providing them with professional work attire that will build their self-esteem and make a good first impression during job interviews" (Gently-Used). The deal is that men who have multiple suits can turn their lightly used suits in for a future discount. In turn, people can buy these suits at a reduced price. This benefits all parties involved for obvious reasons. There is a long standing notion that this style of dress is a symbol of corporate America and the business class. This is a direct example of “fashion as a cultural symbol” (Kawamura 39). This suit drive is not only going to help the business of Men's Wearhouse, but it will achieve the promise made by the creation of this campaign. More importantly, it will give new graduate males a chance to compete in an already competitive world.

Gently-used Professional Men's Clothing being gathered during National Suit Drive
Campaign. 25 August 2008. Atlanta Highland Herald.
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Cyril Torado #5

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