(CNN) - Clothes often carry messages that go beyond appearance, but this time Mark Zuckerberg chose to literally write his message on his shirt.
During his appearance on Wednesday, at an event for the "Meta" company in Menlo Park, California, the company's CEO chose a wide black T-shirt bearing a phrase in English that means: "Building is my love language." The phrase was appropriate for the event during which Zuckerberg showcased his company's latest innovations in the field of artificial intelligence and wearable technology.
The loose, square-cut shirt is close in design to other shirts Zuckerberg has previously worn and was made specifically for him in collaboration with Los Angeles-based designer Mike Amery.
The look reflected a clear shift in Zuckerberg's style, who years ago moved away from his previous image associated with hoodies and tight gray T-shirts that have become part of the stereotypical image of technology company founders. In his last appearance, he maintained his street fashion-inspired style, but made simple modifications to it that gave it a more defined and bold character.
The modifications were not limited to the shirt, as Zuckerberg wore mustard brown pants from the American brand “The Row”, distinguished by a clear fold in the front that added a classic touch to the loose cut.
But the most prominent accessory in his look was the glasses, as he appeared in more than one design from the Italian Ray-Ban brand, powered by artificial intelligence technologies from Meta.
In one of his looks, he chose a thick, scalloped frame, before going up to the stage wearing a “Brawline” frame with a prominent top frame, a design first introduced by the “Shoron” company in 1947, before it became one of the basic styles in fashion in the 1950s.
The design worn by Zuckerberg belongs to the Ray-Ban Meta Audio collection, which are new audio glasses that include microphones and capabilities to interact with artificial intelligence, but they come without a camera, in a move that takes into account privacy concerns.
Meta announced that the new glasses are designed to listen to music and podcasts, make calls, and interact with the artificial intelligence assistant without the need to use a phone.
This shift in approach may be important in light of the increasing role that “meta” plays in the development of artificial intelligence technologies, especially with the growing debate about the risks and potential effects of this technology.
How did fashion and technology experts view this look?
In this context, Tom Warren, a technology correspondent for The Verge, likened Zuckerberg's new look to an emoji wearing glasses.
Derek Guy, a writer specializing in men's fashion, pointed out that the new glasses are closely associated with figures from the political and institutional elite, or with intellectuals in the 1950s and 1960s.
He pointed out the distance Zuckerberg has come since he was seen as the most famous model of indifference to style, but he suggested that this transformation reflects Zuckerberg’s advanced age more than it reflects a political orientation, contrary to what some have said.
Zuckerberg's name is set to return to the forefront of the debate about his public image next month with the theatrical release of "The Social Reckoning." The film comes as a sequel to the 2010 film "The Social Network."
In the promotional advertisement for the film, American actor Jeremy Strong, who embodies the character of Zuckerberg, appeared with the hairstyle adopted by the founder of the "Meta" company during the late 2010s and the beginning of the current decade, and he moved away from it in recent years after he grew his hair long and let his natural curls appear more clearly.
"Gas station elegance"
Zuckerberg was not the only one who caught attention with his appearance, as Alexander Wang, head of the artificial intelligence department at Meta, appeared in a loose green shirt with a camouflage pattern and drawings of deer and the phrase “Lake Tahoe,” which he said he had bought from a used clothing store in Santa Cruz for $30.
Wang coordinated the shirt with pants, Crocs shoes, and thin wire-rimmed glasses. With a long hairstyle with bangs in the front, the look seemed closer to what could be called “gas station elegance.”
