Somewhere along the way, adulthood apparently came with a dress code.
I’m not talking about work. I understand why you probably shouldn’t show up to argue a case before the Supreme Court wearing a shirt that says Emotionally Supported by Coffee. Although, depending on the justice, it might be an icebreaker.
I’m talking about the rest of life.
We grow up, get jobs, buy houses, raise kids, develop opinions about interest rates and property taxes, and apparently we’re supposed to slowly drain the personality out of our closets while we’re doing it.
Why?
I have opinions about coffee. I have opinions about leadership. I like old sayings that remind me of being a kid. I find some of the things people say at the gym ridiculous. I enjoy Halloween. I have a sense of humor. I’m interested in faith, kindness, people, art and about 400 other things depending on what day you catch me.
Why shouldn’t some of that show up in what I wear?
That’s one of the reasons I created Clothed in Kindness. Yes, it’s an apparel company. I’m selling shirts, hoodies and hats. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But what keeps making it interesting to me is figuring out how many little pieces of who we are can fit into something as ordinary as getting dressed.
Turns out, quite a few.
Apparently Coffee Is Part of My Identity Now
I own Free the Bean, so perhaps I surrendered any claim to objectivity on this one a long time ago.
I like coffee.
Not in the I need something warm in this cup while I answer email way. I have favorite beans. Favorite origins. Opinions about roasts. I’ve built an entire business around coffee and created a little red-shirted coffee bean named Freebie, so I think we’re well past casual interest.
Which is why coffee humor makes me laugh.
Cancel Plans for Coffee. Emotionally Supported by Coffee. Currently Avoiding Decaf. Decaf Was Never an Option.
There is no great philosophical statement hiding in there. Sometimes you read something and think, Yep, that’s me.
That’s enough.
Actually, I think we’ve made self-expression unnecessarily complicated. Not everything you put on your body has to announce your deepest conviction to the world. Sometimes it can announce that you don’t believe decaf deserves equal standing in civilized society.
I stand by that.
Your Workout Doesn’t Need a Movie Trailer
Then there’s fitness.
Fitness culture has somehow convinced us that going to the gym requires the emotional intensity of invading a small country.
BEAST MODE. NO EXCUSES. DESTROY YOUR LIMITS.
Settle down, Brad. I’m trying to get my steps in.
I walk. I work out. I’m trying to get healthier. I like seeing progress, and I like the feeling when something that used to be difficult gets a little easier. But there are also days when the victory is simply that I did it.
That’s real life.
It’s why Slow Gains makes more sense to me than pretending every Tuesday afternoon workout is an epic battle between me and destiny.
Progress counts even when it’s boring. The walk counts. The mediocre workout counts. Showing up when you really didn’t feel like it counts.
You can work hard without turning yourself into a motivational poster.
And you can wear the motivational poster if you want. It’s your closet.
See how this works?
We Invented Retro. I’d Like That Noted.
I find it entertaining when something from my childhood disappears for thirty years and then somebody young discovers it.
Suddenly it’s vintage. No. It’s ours. You found it.
There’s something wonderfully strange about seeing a phrase, image or style you haven’t thought about in decades and immediately being transported somewhere else. Maybe you remember who used to say it. Maybe it reminds you of school. Maybe your dad said it. Maybe you said it so many times your parents wanted to send you to live with another family.
That’s why I’ve had so much fun building retro designs at Clothed in Kindness.
I’m Rubber, You’re Glue. Neener, Neener.
You don’t need a paragraph underneath explaining the cultural significance.
If you know, you know.
And if you’re 23 and you’ve just discovered it, welcome. We left some good stuff behind for you.
Your Sign Can Be Your Sign Without Becoming a Court Case
Astrology has its own wonderfully weird place in all this.
Some people know they’re a Virgo.
Some people know they’re a Virgo, where the moon was when they were born, what Mercury was doing at the time and apparently why the rest of us have been irritating them ever since.
Others think astrology is complete nonsense.
Fine.
What I don’t understand is why liking something now requires a defense.
Maybe you’re a Leo and love being a Leo. Maybe your friends have been teasing you about being a Leo for thirty years. Maybe you couldn’t tell me what characteristics are associated with a Leo but saw a piece of artwork you thought looked fantastic.
Wear the damn lion.
This is one reason our Zodiac and astrology designs keep expanding. There’s an enormous amount of imagery, personality and creativity to play with, and people enjoy it.
That’s sufficient justification for me.
Then One Leaf Turns Orange and Everybody Loses Their Minds
Northern California fall is especially funny.
It can still be 84 degrees outside, but if one tree turns orange, somebody is putting on a hoodie and heading to Apple Hill.
I respect the commitment.
There will be pumpkins. There will be family pictures. There will be apple cider. There will be something involving cinnamon. Someone will insist we’re having fall weather while visibly sweating through their sweatshirt.
And suddenly we’re all willing to dress like the season.
This has been particularly dangerous for me because Halloween may be the easiest holiday in existence to design shirts around.
Hey, Boo. Resting Witch Face. Too Ghoul for School. Creepin’ It Real.
Then I made the mistake of adding children.
Mommy and Her Little Pumpkins needed a Little Pumpkin shirt. Then came Daddy’s Little Monster and Little Monster.
At that point, you’re no longer selling one shirt. You’ve enabled an entire family.
I’m comfortable with my role in this.
And if your four-year-old will still willingly wear a matching pumpkin shirt and take a picture with you, do it. There is a teenager somewhere in your future who may look at you with absolute horror when you suggest the same thing.
Take the win while it’s available.
Maybe Adulthood Isn’t the Problem
Maybe boring was never actually part of growing up.
We just started acting like it was.
There’s a time for the suit. There’s a time for the nice sweater. There’s a time for the shirt that says absolutely nothing because you don’t particularly need your chest starting conversations that day.
And then there’s a Saturday morning when you’re getting coffee, heading to the farmers market, walking the dog, taking the kids somewhere or doing absolutely nothing important.
Wear something that makes you laugh.
Wear something that reminds you of being twelve.
Wear your sign.
Wear the ridiculous Halloween shirt.
Wear the thing your kid picked because you’re matching and they’re still young enough to think matching with you is cool.
Wear something kind because you think the world could use more kindness.
Your closet doesn’t need a brand strategy.
It needs you.
That’s really what I’ve been building with Clothed in Kindness. The collections keep wandering because I keep wandering. Coffee leads to humor. Humor leads to retro. Retro leads somewhere else. Faith belongs there. Kindness belongs there. Fitness belongs there. Halloween gets completely out of control every October.
Good.
People aren’t collections neatly arranged across the top of a website. We’re messy, funny, serious, sentimental, faithful, sarcastic, motivated, tired, nostalgic, hopeful and occasionally over-caffeinated.
Sometimes all before lunch.
So yes, I’m going to sell you something at the end of this article. You knew it was coming.
If any of this sounds like you, go wander through Clothed in Kindness.
Find the shirt that makes you stop and think, Yep. That’s mine.
And buy the damn thing.
I made it for you.
Clothed in Kindness
Apparel That Sounds Like You.
Say Less. Mean More. Find Your Fit.
