Corporate Gothic

Corporate Gothic (also referred to as CorpGoth) was originally the name given to Goths working in the office from nine till five. The term Corporate Gothic referred as well to the formal clothing the ‘Office Goths’ were wearing during their work.

Recently, CorpGoth is more turned into a more independent, general accepted by other Goths, variation on the Gothic Subculture. These days, we see frequently Goths visiting Gothic events and Gothic clubs, wearing the darker version of the usual corporate wear.

Origin

Unlike many other forms of Gothic, like Victorian and Cyber, whom have a very ideological background –obvious representing a way of living- CorpGoth was originally nothing more then a practical solution, for a unexpected problem young Gothic adults where faced with.

Unlike the cliché, representing Goths as unskilled rebels working in a tattoo shop or fixing motorcycles, many Goths are or have been rather smart kids. They are often very devoted to their studies and visit less wild parties then many other youngsters do.However, Goths suddenly graduating as accountants, lawyers or insurance agents, causes Goths to work for very conservative companies. Many Goths having amazing résumés simply did not pass their job interview because of their Goth looks.

Dropping their Goth clothing, was something very much Goths got difficult with. Instead, they started adapting their original look into a more ‘Corporate’ form of it. The result was the appearing of gothic wear that was obvious designed to wear in very conservative offices, rather than visiting the dark Gothic clubs at night. [http://www.geocities.com/gothicunity/gothtypes.html]

Evolution

During time, the Corporate Gothic style became actually (semi) popular. CorpGoth was litterly leaving office at five and entering a world of darkness at night. Also, CorpGoth was not any longer a style exclusive for the white collar Goth. Blue collar Goths and even Goths that where still in high school started to taking over the CorpGoth look for going out at night.

CorpGoth looked sharp and dark on a more ‘chique’ way. Ideal for Goths wanting a look that just is a slight case different from everyone else in the Gothic club. Gothic clothing in general, is in the first place a way of expression. Using modified corporate wear, was a whole new way to express emotions and feeling.

More remarkable was the fact that something similar was happening in the corporate world. Some ‘regular’ office co-workers, having originally nothing to do with the Gothic Movement, got quite fascinated by the Gothic version of business attire. Looking less dull and more mystiques it seemed, for some of them, ideal to get a more edgy look. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/fashion/21CODES.html]

CorpGoth life style fashion

For male CorpGoths, the traditional black suit (or charcoal for the very conservative companies, since black from origin is the color for formal parties and funerals) is very popular. Pinstripe suits are popular as well. Probably because of its link to some Tim Burton Movies. The corporate look gets his Gothic touch mostly because of the use of accessories: Long Victorian black overcoats, Victorian cufflinks and tie clips, neckties with small gothic motives, black-white stripped dress socks, black dress shoes made from perforated leather, belts with a skull cloth (or something similar) and a silver ring and a silver pocket watch. For formal events like weddings, more Victorian based traditional suits (like white tie) are popular as well. Corporate Gothic appears often to be a more up to date version of Victorian Gothic. Male corpgoth's usually don't use gothic make-up (or only very few) since it is not accepted in most offices.

Female CorpGoths have more options in choosing their clothing. The black/charcoal lady’s suit (sometimes with pinstripe) is often worn by female CorpGoths. The little black dress is popular as well. For accessories female CorpGoths use often black high heels (pumps or ankle boots), black nylon stockings (or unripped fishnet stockings with very small holes), black-white striped socks, belt with a Gothic looking cloth, silver jewellery and an overcoat with a little Gothic touch. Black or grey trencoats, and velvet blazers as well, are preferd by many female corpgoths when weather gets colder. Make-up is mostly rather moderate.

Music

When it comes to clothing, there are some bands we can say they might have inspired some CorpGoths:

* Marilyn Manson wearing 30ies German bespoke suits during his ‘The Golden Age of Grotesque’ album.
* Suicide Commando wearing white dress shirts with red neckties during their concerts.
*Covenant wearing bespoke suits and neckties on stage. Most people say they even look like accountants or consultants, rather than artists behind EBM.
* , the male artistis in black suist with gloves and sunglasses, the female artists wearing kneehigh white dresses with white nylons.
* The Sisters Of Mercy ‘s Andrew Eldritch wearing a white suit with black necktie and sunglasses in his Dominion video.

The Organisation Behind CorpGoth

Corporate Gothic was not the only remarkable shift compared to the wave based Gothic scene. Cyber Gothic and Gothic Metal also came with a more distant form of ‘being Gothic’. Unlike those two, CorpGoths are more likely to just ‘dissolve’ in a mass of traditional Goths rather than stressing being a CorpGoth’. Because of that, there aren’t lots of events and clubs especially for CorpGoths.

However, on the popular American Gothic community site http://warningroom.com/, we do find a separated section for Corporate Gothic Community. There, CorpGoths discuss their daily corporate life. Using the site ‘s networking applications, the CorpGOths are also able to arrange some CorpGoth pick nicks and meetings.

External links

* http://www.waningmoon.com/corpgoth/introduction.shtml Subpart of Waringmoon, specialised in the Corporate Gothic lifestyle.
* http://www.blackwaterfall.com/12corp.php A short and brief description about stereotype behind the CorpGoth.
* http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/fashion/21CODES.htmlAn article from the New York times about business men wearing corpgoth clothing.
* http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/08/21/is-there-an-undercover-goth-in-your-workplace/'Is There An Undercover Goth In Your Workplace?' Article about Goths in the office.
* http://www.eidoloncareersolutions.com/corporate-goth-101.asp'Corporate Goth 101: Top Strategies for Bludgeoning to Death The Most Common Workplace Problems'