(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Welcome to the CEO Diet, a monthly series in Bloomberg Businessweek, where executives from around the world tell us how they manage their time in and out of the office. We’ve touched on universal subjects: Their preferred breakfast, exercise routine, drink order. Now, we’re talking about clothes. Among the things you’ll see is a serious commitment to Uniqlo, a preference for 7 For All Mankind jeans, and an affinity for the color black.
In her job overseeing Sodexo Live! North America, which caters major events like the Paris 2024 Olympics and the Miami F1 Grand Prix, Belinda Oakley requires outfits for all kinds of occasions. “Packing would be a lot easier with a turtleneck and jeans for a uniform, but how boring would that be? I love embracing color and femininity in my wardrobe. I like timeless and vintage-inspired pieces and accentuated waistlines.” The native Australian is also used to covering a lot of ground, literally. “I have a penchant for pointy-toe shoes when I’m not running around a stadium in kicks.”
“I’m almost always in head-to-toe Uniqlo,” says Hiroki Koga, who oversees Oishii Berries, the world’s largest vertical strawberry farm, located in Jersey City. He spends a lot of time among sweet berries that strive to match the high-quality fruit of Koga’s native Japan. “My daily uniform consists of a white T-shirt with an Oishii logo and jeans. When I need to dress it up for a more formal business meeting, I’ll wear a black T-shirt, black pants and a black jacket. I have 10 sets of everything, so I don’t have to think about what to wear every morning and I can pack for business trips in under five minutes.”
Nikolaus Volk has spent a lot of his professional life in San Francisco. Before 2019, when he co-founded Kyte, a rental car company that delivers vehicles to customers’ homes, he was an executive at another notable Bay Area transportation platform: Uber. But his German roots still come through in what we wears. “Either full Berlin-style founder—black pants and black T-shirt, maybe some wild hair—or business casual with California vibes—Chelsea boots, some form of a bracelet and a linen shirt.”
Aaron Luo, whose New York-based company Caraa offers modernized leisure bags to suit everyone from hikers to business travelers to new parents, has a lot to say about his essential piece of clothing: “I’m a big blazer guy. A well-fitted blazer is the most versatile piece of fashion garment any man can have. You can dress up or down with it.” And he does: “Doesn’t matter if you wear it with a sweater, turtleneck, T-shirt, dress shirt or no shirt. Because every day of my week is so different from each other, I wear a blazer that works for every occasion.”
Before she co-launched her casually stylish clothing line, Tuckernuck, named after an island off Nantucket, Jocelyn Gailliot worked in investment banking in New York and in real estate private equity in Hong Kong. So she’s well-versed in garments that work for myriad occasions. “In the fall it’s a great blazer, a ribbed knit top, a current pair of denim, a cool flat or loafer and a chic piece of outerwear. I go for pieces that feel easy and classic, but I always try to add an unexpected element.”
Entrepreneur Ryan Denehy started Electric AI in 2016. The company, which provides IT management to small and medium-size businesses in the US, has an international expansion planned for 2025. His standard uniform is monochromatic: “I try to keep it simple: black T-shirt, black Theory pants, black BAPE sneakers and a black Rolex.” But that’s not his only look. “Outside of the office I spend a lot of time riding my bike or in a race car,” specifically at the private Monticello Motor Club race track, about an hour and a half north of New York. So, he adds, “half my closet is either Pas Normal cycling kit or Alpinestars fire suits.”
A decade ago, Matt Grech-Smith helped kick off the crazy golf fad, launching Swingers Crazy Golf as a pop-up in a warehouse in London. Now there are two permanent locations in the UK capital, one each in New York and Washington, and one coming soon to Las Vegas, all offering the opportunity for drinking-while-golfing-while-socializing. Grech-Smith’s favored outfit is especially well suited for walking onto one of his cleverly designed mini courses. “Son of a Tailor tees, 7 For All Mankind jeans, white sneakers and then an interesting jacket. Today I’m wearing a Herno bomber.”
Bill Shufelt has been leading the US non-alcoholic beer movement since 2017, when he left Point72 Asset Management and the hedge fund world to start Athletic Brewing Co. The company has continued to grow; it’s currently valued at around $800 million, after a $50 million boost in funding in July. But Shufelt’s look is decidedly casual: “My go-to outfit includes a pair of Rhone commuter pants, an Athletic Brewing shirt and a Rhone hoodie.” He changes things up slightly in the summer. “I also love my Faherty jeans and wearing Kane shoes, because they’re both flexible and sustainable.”
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