The Interviews: Galih, Fashion Influencer
Hat-enthusiast and fashion influencer Galih talks to us about standing out, signature looks and pushing yourself to be your best.
The power of the suit is all about the boost of confidence you get from presenting yourself at your best. Whether we’re navigating boardroom negotiations or digital terrains, work requires us to put our best selves forward to get the job done.
In the second of our series, The Interviews, we meet Galih Richardson, one-third of the creative trio, The Outlanders, to discuss the power of dressing sharply.
As an influencer, you’re followed for your personal style and you’re rarely seen without your signature hat. Tell us why it’s such an important part of your look?
I think the hat is a very Outlander signature, and it’s just another way to create individual style in an outfit. So many people can wear a suit and so many people can wear workwear and all this sort of stuff, but when you add a hat to it, it finishes it off – it makes it a little bit more, it elevates the style and it takes it to another level.
You’re also often wearing tailoring. How do you feel when you put on a suit? Does it play any part in how you present yourself to your audience?
If you wear a suit, it’s a coat of armour, it’s your suit of armour. It becomes your layer against the rest of the world, you know what I mean, and it becomes your sort of signature power to push what you believe in to the rest of the world. It’s like your signature – your signature is yours, your body shape is yours and, with an outfit, if you’re wearing a suit, it’s got to fit, it’s got to be yours, it’s got to be your signature.
Do you have any rituals that put in the right mindset for your work? Is there anything you do that makes you feel confident or in control?
I mean meditation is huge because Outlanders is all about Asian influence and with us meditation is really important to centre yourself before a busy day. Or, if you’re struggling with something in life, to meditate yourself to centre yourself again. And also, you know, confidence. Believing in yourself and having the confidence to stand out. Standing out isn’t about showing off, it’s just about being yourself, I think that’s what’s important.
At Moss Bros., we believe in the power of putting your best self forward into the world. What have you learned about creating a look that’s authentic to you?
I think knowing you are an individual, knowing your body more than anything is the most important thing about dressing yourself. Everybody is different, I don’t believe in a small, medium, large, extra-large, I don’t believe in that. I don’t believe people can be categorised into medium or small or whatever it is. I believe that we are all individuals, so each of us has our own shoulder width and waist size, and we need to dress accordingly to that. If you need to buy an outfit, get it tailored, whatever it is. It costs so little to get each bit tailored, so to do that, that’s the important part.
When did you last feel most powerful?
Power to me is a combination of where you’ve been and where you’re heading into the future. Being able to see what you’ve done and to push yourself forward and to do better every day. I’ve come to realise that we’re born alone and we die alone but in between is all bridging those relationships with people who are close in your life and the last time I felt powerful was helping someone else who was close to me who needed help. That’s all it is. That’s the easiest way to feel powerful in life, because that way you know that during your lifetime you are sort of working on the relationships you have and you’re not alone.
