Gilbert Flores
As the bonds between fashion and tech tighten, the rise of the celebrity titans has power players like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Snap’s Evan Spiegel stealing more of the style spotlight
Along with Meta’s AI-powered glasses through a EssilorLuxottica partnership, the Met Gala’s big-money donors and Condé Nast’s confirmed plans to stage Vogue World in San Francisco next year, the tech-fashion connections can be seen in how the media is keeping tabs on what the in-demand Silicon Valley stylist Veronica Hitchcock calls “the celebrity titan.”
Quiet luxury. Stealth wealth. No logos. Quality materials
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In fact, many trendspotters seized on the current yet casual attire worn by headliners at Allen & Co.’s conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, as well as other attendees like Karlie Kloss, Lauren Sanchez Bezos and Ivanka Trump. While many chief executive officers are still all about stealth wealth and quiet luxury, their Gen Z and Millennial underlings are keeping tabs on what they’re wearing, according to three sought-after stylists whose clients include Silicon Valley power brokers
While Bezos and Sanchez Bezos were spotted at Dior and Zuckerberg turned up at Prada, biohacker Bryan Johnson did them one better, walking the runway at Matières Fécales’ February show in Paris, which not so ironically critiqued capitalism. Coming from the “very focused, structured and methodical” world of tech, “this is an emergent chaos” and “a manifestation of beauty,” Johnson said backstage
Unlike bankers or lawyers, whose dress codes haven’t changed drastically over each sector’s long history, tech workers are orbiting a galaxy that is experiencing cosmic evolution. “It’s fascinating that this is happening before our eyes,” Hitchcock said. “It’s influencing the designers, because they’ve found a whole new market.”
The comfort-first ethos has gotten an upgrade. Gone are the faded ripped jeans, “dirty” shoes, cotton hoodies and other basics. Hitchcock said, “They show up at Davos, and have meetings at the White House. They go to events like the Met Gala, the Oscars, the Kentucky Derby and Allen & Co. in Sun Valley.”
A New Target for Fashion
“Fashion has always followed power,” said executive style strategist, Andrew Weitz. “Now you see some of the most influential people in the world building technology companies. Today tech leaders aren’t coders behind-the-scenes. They’re public figures. They’re appearing in magazines, speaking at fireside chats — they’re everywhere. Their image is now part of their leadership and people are really paying attention.”
Investing in “how they want to be perceived,” Weitz’s clients favor Zegna, Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren, Brioni and other understated brands. In turn, designers are creating simple and easy-to-wear styles with those lucrative shoppers in mind. “They see where the money is. They see where the power is,” said Weitz, a former talent agent at William Morris Endeavor, before its acquisition of IMG
Zuckerberg’s personal style transformation can be seen in his more streetwear-centric styles and chains, which Weitz suggested speak to a younger generation
He also flagged Bezos’ new look — both physically and from a lifestyle perspective — since meeting and marrying Sanchez Bezos. They are also increasingly involved with fashion, as evidenced by their sponsorship of this year’s Met Gala. Before hitting the red carpet at fashion’s biggest night of the year, the couple’s Bezos Earth Fund also shelled out $34 million in grants for the research and development of “breakthrough” textiles and materials for fashion
Many tech executives drive conversation through their adoption of a uniform of sorts
Although Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang “should probably switch up” his black leather Tom Ford jackets, Weitz noted that “you know that’s him. It’s just like Steve Jobs’ turtlenecks.” Understated as Altman seems to be, Weitz said, “He can do better. And if he does, people will look at him in more of a significant way.”
All in all, authenticity is paramount to personal style. “People can smell when someone is trying too hard. If they are dressing consistently, that is influencing their personal brand,” he said. “Clothing is usually the last thing that these guys are thinking about. They’re changing the world. They’re building new technology. They’re making new platforms. That’s why I started this business. Your closet is set up so that what to wear is one less thing to think about. You can get up and go.”
Frequently asked by clients to assess what high-profile people in tech, sports, business and politics wore for specific events, Weitz said, “These guys are looking. They want to be ahead of it and on it. That’s definitely influencing them now.”
Meanwhile, more tech workers in their 20s and 30s are reaching out to Hitchcock, whose clients must meet a certain criterion and be vetted. Once cleared, they spend between $20,000 and upward of $400,000 annually. Whether scheduled to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange or traveling internationally for a business meeting, younger clients want her guidance about dressing appropriately, when rubbing shoulders with people triple their age. “If somebody is going to recognize a pair of Brioni shoes on you in a meeting — when your idea is to help the world eradicate hunger — that’s probably not a good idea,” she said.
The Intricacies of Tech Makeovers
More than 26 years into her career, Hitchcock said, “It’s nothing like I have ever seen before, in terms of the amount of effort that people are putting into finding understated fashion.”
Along with Brunello Cucinelli, male tech executives are favoring looks from Maurizio Baldassari and Aether for more casual styles. Young women workers often show Hitchcock photos of what tech wives are wearing to see if they might pull off a similar look. “They might say, ‘It’s so not me. I think my colleagues would laugh,” Hitchcock said. “In fact, that’s still the way it is. You just don’t want to be that person. There is that respect that you get, if you look like you did not try too hard.”
Acknowledging how she has had a hand in the image making of the celebrity titan, Hitchcock tries to stay true to who they were 15 or 20 years ago. “That’s the beauty of how I get clients. They’ll say, ‘Hey, he looks a little smarter, more pulled together and more official. I can listen to him for more than 15 minutes without staring at the hole in his pants. But it can go too far, and some people can lose some credibility.”
Stephanie Venita Stimmler, another tech-focused stylist, said logo-free clothing is essential, “They want to look pulled together and feel good. But they don’t want to be a walking billboard. They really just don’t want people to know they’re wealthy. They want to keep a low profile but look really good.”
Product managers, founders and VCs routinely tell her, “I don’t want to look like a lawyer in a suit and a tie,” she said. Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Max Mara, Hermès, Ralph Lauren, Dior and Jenni Kayne are popular labels with the Palo Alto, Calif.-based image consultants. They drop $20,000 on average to rebuild their wardrobes and between $8,000 and $20,000 for seasonal styling
Zuckerberg’s stepped-up fashion game and front-row appearances has created a buzz. Stimmler said, “He was the complete opposite of that before, wearing cotton hoodies and flip-flops. Now he’s in Lora Piana cashmere hoodies. I’m curious where that influence is coming from — maybe his wife [Priscilla Chan]. When you have that type of money, maybe you want to treat yourself to something nice.”
As for the tech titans’ wives, Kerr and Kloss have strong fashion credentials through their modeling careers, but their entrepreneurial pursuits and public profiles make them culturally relevant, Stimmler said. With an estimated net worth of $60 million, Kerr founded Kora Organics in 2009. The 43-year-old and Spiegel recently announced a partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to help approximately 261,000 Californians erase $550 million in medical debt.
Aside from modeling for major designers and brands like Victoria’s Secret, Kerr and Kloss deliver fashion statements on their own. Kerr turned up in a billowy pale pink dress to support Jonathan Anderson at Dior’s May show. Spiegel stuck with a black puffer jacket and black jeans
For the couple’s appearance at this year’s French Open, she sported Louis Vuitton and carried a Loewe bag. Kloss, whose modeling portfolio includes work for Adidas and Estée Lauder, was unmissable, modeling Daniel Roseberry’s tech-centric molded iridescent bodice and lace skirt at Schiaparelli last month. Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera and Givenchy are among the designers she has hit the runway for. The mother of three was also a scene stealer at Taylor Swift’s wedding in a strapless liquid gold-colored gown from Tove.
Married to Thrive Capital cofounder Joshua Kushner, Kloss is an angel investor in about 20 companies including Bedford Media, which owns i-D and Life magazines. The 34-year-old’s estimated net worth is $40 million
Sánchez Bezos’ increased fashion presence and “association with luxury culture” allow her to bring attention to specific “designers, looks and aesthetics,” Stimmler said
As a pediatrician and philanthropist, Chan, 41, is “less likely to shape mainstream fashion trends, but her minimalist Silicon Valley aesthetic could resonate with female executives, founders and philanthropists,” she said
Palo Alto workers also have a wider selection of designer stores including Chanel, Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Ralph’s Coffee and Veronica Beard. “People are definitely interested in more luxury goods. When I started, all of the big shopping had to be done in San Francisco,” Stimmler said
The convergence of tech, wealth, power and philanthropy has also created what amounts to the billionaire beat, with such outlets as The Information and The Observer hiring journalists to keep up with the titans’ numerous wheelings and dealings
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