“Stop with West, you look like a Republican!”

San Francisco, March 2022. No one knows who made them, but the posters are hanging all over the city. Image of a man in beige pants, a light-colored shirt, and a fur vest from American clothing brand Patagonia crossed out with the no-go symbol.

The men wore what is now known as a City uniform, named after New York’s business district. Others wanted the style to be called Patagucci, a fusion of outdoor lifestyle brand Patagonia and Italian luxury brand Gucci. In other words, we are dealing with an elite uniform – exclusive and sporty at the same time.

On another poster: “You live in California now. It’s time to act like it!”

Despite its name, the Midtown uniform may not originate in New York. It probably originated in California’s desert technology capital, Silicon Valley, a 40-minute drive from San Francisco. Here you’ll find the headquarters of giants like Apple, Google, and Dropbox – and their western-clad employees.

Half a year later, we can state that the poster has not had the desired effect. Quite the opposite – people in the west seem to be proliferating very quickly. They have traveled from Silicon Valley to Wall Street, from technology to the financial environment, from Midtown to Norwegian Barcode.

Uniforms, and perhaps most vests, have been reviled and ridiculed, loved and loathed. It has been the subject of satirical Instagram accounts, newspaper covers, and environmental debates.

Why has this waistcoat, neither flashy nor expensive, gained a foothold in a world previously characterized by high champagne, tailored blazers and heavy watches?

And how can one outfit cause so much hate?