It IS what you wear, after all!!

Once I was speaking to a very rich, powerful man at a black tie dinner.  He said, “At an event like this, we’re all dressed alike - black suit and bow tie.  Everyone is equal.” His words have remained with me all my life.

Since we climbed down from the trees, man has sought identity within a social group.  Clan, tribe, village, state – all relied for their continued existence on a shared identify, a commitment to common goals.  The need to belong is, and has been since the dawn of civilization, a survival trait.

In modern times, there’s not quite the need to band together to protect our families from marauding wolves but we’ve retained the need to gather together with people who share our beliefs and attitudes.  It’s still there.  Primal.

One of the ways we identify ourselves as belonging to a social group is in how we dress.  Many groups have a common style of dress – military & police are obvious examples.  Everyone dresses the same, with minor variations to denote rank, specialist function or a sub-group.

In LA, wearing an item of a particular colour, red or blue, identifies you as a member of one or another of the dominant street gangs.  Throughout South-East Asia, elections are a colourful affair with each major party represented by a different colour.  During a campaign, convoys of supporters decked out in yellow, green, red drive cars and trucks festooned with huge flags, forming ad hoc rallies wherever they happen to stop.

The colour provides an immediate common link with fellow wearers, allowing all to bond at an almost subconscious level.

So, too, with Harley-Davidson.  We all dress pretty much the same, and while you can put extra chrome, kits and accessories on your bike, they are basically all the same.  What you do, and how much money you have is not important when you’re on the road.

We all know the uniform – denim with leather boots, black sunglasses, t-shirt, leather jacket and for many, a vest adorned with pins and patches.  Before I joined the Harley lifestyle, I never owned a black t-shirt.  Now, I scarcely have anything but!

I was at a party the other day for my oldest friend’s wife.  There were seven or eight of us from the club, and for some reason, no-one had ridden.  Someone commented, “I don’t recognise you guys.  You’re all out of uniform.”

Harley-D actively trades on this, and the brand is certainly at the upper end of the scale for lifestyle/obsession.  Harley-Davidson is a leader in offering branded material for the faithful to buy.  From expensive leather jackets to skull-emblazoned underwear, it’s all there.

Worn leather and steel.  Black tie with dinner suit.  They’re not so far apart.  Just different sides of the same coin.  

See you on the road.  

Dressed properly, of course.