Summon the top male executives in Kenya today for an impromptu meeting and you will come up with one quick conclusion — the corporate look that colonialists impressed upon our grandfathers has undergone a dramatic shift.

“Smart casual” and “athleisure” are some of the words you are likely to hear from this crop of leaders. Who said being a corporate leader needs you to wear a tie? Is there a sin in leaving the top button undone and showing some chest? Who said you have to keep off the ‘box’ and other hairstyles to look businesslike? Who said a bushy beard doesn’t cut it? Who said rolling sleeves like Barack Obama makes one a less serious boss?

Even in the UK, the territory that rubbed off its corporate dressing culture to Kenya, a lot of shifts are happening. A 2023 report by analytics firm YouGov showed that just a small minority of workers were sold to the gospel of what is considered business attire.

“Just 7 percent of workers say they don ‘business attire’ at work, including 8 percent of male workers. Even in ABC1 occupations (that is middle-class jobs) just 10 percent say they wear a suit, and among those in ‘A’ occupations (those in higher managerial positions or professional occupations) this still only hits 13 percent,” reported the firm.

“The most common work dress is ‘smart casual attire’, which 34 percent of workers say describes what they wear to work,” it added.

Similarly in Kenya, younger leaders are keeping up with their generation’s “anything goes” permissive attitude about self-expression. It’s about what they bring to the table, not how they bring it.