Mar 21, 2022
Macy’s has updated its dress code to encourage associates to dress according to their personal styles so they can be better seen as experts for style advice.
Previously, the dress code called for business casual (i.e., no jeans, sneakers), with many departments mandating all-black.
The looser wardrobe guidelines are part of a new brand platform, “Own Your Style,” that seeks to better position Macy’s as an authority on fashion advice and discovery.
“Our colleague’s personal style and self-expression will engage and inspire our customers to express their own personal style,” a Macy’s spokeswoman told WWD.
The dress code will vary based on an employee’s role. The spokeswoman elaborated, “A colleague in our general selling area may dress with a more casual look of their favorite pair of denim paired with fashion sneakers while colleagues in special selling areas — fine jewelry, beauty — will dress in a more elevated look. This may mean a dress, skirt, suit or blazer paired with flashy accessories. We are empowering colleagues to let their personal style shine through.”
The move comes following a period when casualization of America’s wardrobes accelerated during the pandemic.
Macy’s overall “Own Your Style” platform emphasizes digital and social-first experiences, branded content, sequenced storytelling, in-person advice and personalized data-driven recommendations.
At the store level, digital screens will display rotating style tips, including on cross-merchandising outfits. Monthly “Own Your Style” and “Now Trending” sections curated with “must have” products are being added to selling floors.
Online, Macy’s will introduce personalized websites based on customers’ buying history. The “Own Your Style” online experience features a wide range of trend advice, including current takes on the preppy look, relaxed jeans and “no-makeup makeup look.”
The online push also includes a bigger role for Macy’s Style Crew, a group of associates who post shoppable video and photo content to their own social channels and earn commission on click-throughs.
Rich Lennox, Macy’s chief brand officer, said in a statement, “We will help our customers express their personal style through personalized data-driven recommendations and expert advice that will differentiate us in a cluttered marketplace.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you think of the “Own Your Style” platform’s overall effort to position Macy’s as the go-to place for fashion guidance? Do you see more benefits than risks in Macy’s relaxing its dress code and encouraging associates to dress in their personal style?
“Let the young associates be themselves and it will spill over into good service for shoppers.”
