Utilising “wardrobe studies” to de-construct űber masculine, “bad-boy,” entrepreneurial identity: an exploratory study

Purpose In this exploratory study, we examine the qualitative methodology of “Wardrobe Studies” as a mechanism through which to conduct a semiotic analysis of a genre of “Bad-Boy-Entrepreneurs” as an embodied, elite, entrepreneurial identity. Wardrobe studies are concerned with the analysis of clothing and artefacts which collectively form part of our wardrobe. This is important because entrepreneurial identity – and particularly an interest in its semiotic, aesthetic and sartorial elements of such gendered identities – is an emerging, contemporary area of academic study. Concentrating on the sartorial and the artefactual as units of analysis engenders unique insights into corporeal-entrepreneurial-identity per se. Postmodern, fragmented identity can exacerbate the need for a coherent identity which can be communicated by fashion choices. In the literature on fashion, the sartorial and its influence on personalised identities is well-established, but not so in entrepreneurship studies. Design/methodology/approach In the fashion literature, the methodological focus is upon the clothing, its aesthetics and personalised meaning and the most common methodology used is that of “Wardrobe Studies” where subjects are invited to photograph their personal wardrobes and select items of clothing or personal artefacts important to them in expressing their identity. In this study, by synthesising literature and insights from entrepreneurship and brand-marketing, we extend the methodological framework to examine and analyse the entrepreneurial identities of ten anonymised, über-masculine subjects with celebrity status and previously successful sporting careers from publicly available images downloaded from Google Images. To maintain anonymity, we concentrate on the sartorial and semiotic aspects of their identity. Findings The bespoke, masculine identities of the subjects illustrate aspects of embodied identity, illuminating distinct, entrepreneurial stereotypes including the “Geezer” look, and “Playboy-look”. The study highlights the importance of visual research into the outfits and wardrobes of entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. Research limitations/implications This study continues an emerging conversation on the influence of sartorial and artefactual objects on the expression of elite entrepreneurial identities, albeit that the study is limited by the small number of cases in the sample. Originality/value This methodology has not been used in the entrepreneurship literature before and offers a novel viewpoint on elite, entrepreneurial identity.