In the words of Matt Hartman, it’s no secret that a lot of men aren’t really aware of what fashion is. So he has made it a mission to help them figure it out. “Often men tend to see a magazine or something in a store and just buy it. If you go around in today’s culture, t-shirts, shorts and jeans are pretty common. So I would say that my style of influence in fashion is to inspire men to dress better, consider what they wear and improve the status quo of t-shirt and jeans,” Matt says.
Start
Matt’s fashion journey has to be one of the most unique stories I have heard in a while. It all started with a simple a performance review at work. I would bet that Matt had no clue going into that performance review he wouldn’t have imagined that his life would change forever. “My boss told me I needed to dress better. I needed to go out onto social media and learn about different styles and different ways to do things. I paid it forward, got some ideas and here we are today. Before I would dress in college tees and khakis. I really didn’t stand out from everyone else. But as I started to climb the ladder in the IT field, I began working more closely with the vice presidents and presidents of companies. It was important to my boss to encourage me to look the part including dressing in suits and ties and stuff like that. I didn’t have any of that so I had to go to the store and start from scratch,” Matt explains.
Style
So clear Matt did his research and re-invented himself. Putting the focus on dressing smart, he began to ditch the basic tees and shorts and gravitated more to the business casual style. And something that makes his style unique is his use of different textures. “I play in the business casual space more than anywhere else. I really enjoy texture. Texture is a really important aspect of my wardrobe. Anything that has texture is something I really enjoy because it adds another dimension into my look,” Matt shares.
Another thing that Matt mentioned about his style is that it is always evolving. “Style is an evolving thing. You have to step out and try new things. I try all kinds of things like different kinds of shirt collars, different kinds of ties, different kinds of pants, boots, shoes, etc. I still have a long ways to go but I will say that it is a constant evolution. I really don’t go to the next guy and say ‘I wanna do what he does,’ I really just do what I want to do. So if I see something that catches my eye or that i’ve never done before then I’ll give it a shot,” Matt expresses.
Future
Well taking the steps to hanging his personal style has had a huge impact on Matt’s life. However, simply changing his style was just the beginning. He has now been an amazing influencers to others and that’s not where the journey stops. In the future, Matt plans on launching continuing to venture out. “I’m going to start dabbling into doing some collections of items and clothing. I want to do ties for one and i’ll probably do shoes too. I would like to do some collaborations with some companies to do stuff like that. I would love to continue to learn about this business and see what I can do with it and make my own place in this fashion world. I also want to go out and do more lifestyle photos so I can expand and work on my blog. The reason why I want to do all this is because it will definitely help me to continue to evolve my personals style,” Matt details.
Who do you consider to be top fashion icons right now?
I like anything that Tom Snyder does. I like how he takes vintage items and makes them modern. I also like Kenneth Cole’s items because he addresses the everyday man.
What are you reading these days?
Well, I am not a big fan of reading. I work alot and have two children so I don’t have much time to read. But when I do read it is usually business related. I am an IT so I read alot of article for that.
What style/fashion accessory is your favorite?
A key thing for me is a shoe horn. Not many people talk about them often but they are really crucial in keeping your shoes in good condition. They are highly needed, but as far as fashion accessory and being completely honest, it’s definitely my glasses. I know it’s not really exciting, but I need them for everyday use.
Matt Hartman
Snapchat: runnineverlong
