Forbes revealed the meaning of the “uniform” billionaires
Huang's jacket, Jobs' turtleneck and Trump's tie have become part of their public imagery and a "trademark," Forbes writes. The magazine disassembled eight recognizable billionaire outfits, adding that the simplicity can be high costs
The habit of entrepreneurs wearing the same clothes helps to create a recognizable public image, and the apparent simplicity of a wardrobe can cost thousands of dollars. About it writes Forbes in a review of eight characteristic business images.
Usually, the constancy in clothes businessmen explain the desire to avoid “decision fatigue”. However, according to the magazine, such a "uniform" performs another task - it turns into a personal trademark.
Forbes notes the “remarkable contradiction” in buying clothes for thousands of dollars in order to look like the first thing that came to hand.
The review included:
Jensen Huang is a black leather jacket. According to Forbes, she created the image of the head of Silicon Valley and, concurrently, a “rock star”. The magazine notes the contrast between Huang's appearance and the 63-year-old engineer's GPU talk. A comparable Tom Ford jacket costs about $9,000, and the one Huang wore and signed sold for $960,000 at Sotheby’s in July 2026. After the resignation of the founder of Nvidia, these clothes, previously associated with his success and “invincibility”, may be perceived differently. Steve Jobs is a black turtleneck. Combined with blue jeans and New Balance sneakers, it conveyed a commitment to functionality, simplicity and design. At the same time, it was a successful marketing technique: Jobs could be recognized from the other end of the room without the Apple logo. Designer Issei Miyake’s divers originally cost about $175 apiece. According to the magazine, Jobs had about a hundred of them. Mark Zuckerberg is a gray T-shirt. She gave the impression of being “too busy changing the world” to worry about clothes. However, behind the usual look, there was an “expensive simplicity”: custom-made Brunello Cucinelli T-shirts made of a mixture of cotton and cashmere, according to Forbes, cost $ 300-500 apiece. Recently, the entrepreneur began to experiment with gold chains, loose T-shirts and high fashion. Donald Trump is a long red tie. Unlike entrepreneurs who wanted to look restrained, Trump chose voluminous suits and ties, often lower than the belt. According to Forbes, the red tie works almost like a “corporate logo.” The Trump-branded model costs around $125, and often combines such ties with expensive Brioni suits. Karl Lagerfeld is a black glove without fingers. Together with a black suit, a tall white collar, dark glasses and powdered hair gathered in a tail, they made up a complex personal “uniform” in modern fashion, according to Forbes. The magazine compares the designer with a French aristocrat of the XVIII century, traveling through time. Modern Lagerfeld gloves cost about $169. Ralph Lauren is a Western-style denim shirt. His wardrobe supports the idealized American lifestyle around which the brand is built: ranches, country estates, polo fields and outdoor recreation. The shirts and shabby denim give the impression that the designer “just got off the horse,” Forbes writes. Comparable Double RL models cost around $275-295. Palmer Luckey - Hawaiian shirts, cargo shorts and flip-flops. This image contrasts with the business of an entrepreneur in the field of military drones and autonomous weapons. The clothes have a family history: Hawaiian shirts were worn after work by his father, a car salesman. Lucky inherited that style. According to him, he has about 70 such shirts. In the graph of the cost, Forbes indicated $ 0, because he inherited them. Elizabeth Holmes is a black turtleneck. The image of the founder of Theranos was a clear reference to Jobs and supported the idea of her as a visionary of Silicon Valley, notes Forbes. But unlike clothing, the company's technology didn't work, the magazine writes. In a 2015 interview with Glamour, Holmes revealed that she has about 150 black turtlenecks. Their cost Forbes did not indicate.
The practice of creating a recognizable wardrobe appeared long before technology companies, the magazine reminds. KFC founder Harland Sanders has made a white suit, black tie-lace and beard part of the brand image since the 1950s. One of his suits sold at auction in 2013 for $ 21.5 thousand.
Huang previously explained constancy in clothing by wanting to be less distracted by her choices. He said he had 30-40 similar jackets. “Black is a lack of choice. This is one decision, one problem became less, said the entrepreneur. His clothes were chosen by his wife.
On November 12, Huang resigned as Nvidia’s CEO after 33 years. His resignation was preceded by reports of extramarital relationships, including with businesswoman Alice Huang, whom US intelligence agencies suspect of cooperating with Chinese intelligence. Beijing has denied the charges. Huang himself admitted adultery and apologized to his family and staff.
