Featured in our autumn style issue, Kenny and Danny King make up the dapper duo behind Minneapolis’s King Brothers Clothiers. Inspired by their recently debuted book, The Image Advantage: Maximize Your Most Overlooked Asset, we tapped them to discuss that very topic.
Photography by Mary Jo Hoffman
How do you define image?
Image is one of the only things everybody on this planet has. Rarer still, image is one of the only things each of us has complete control over. Image isn’t just about the way you dress — it should communicate who you are and where you want to go.
What prompted you to write a book about image?
We have a unique lens into what image communicates to people. As twins, we live every day with people not being able to tell us apart. When we were very little, our mom consistently put one of us (Kenny) in red and the other (Danny) in blue. People assigned that color clothing to our identities.
We understand image as a part of who we are. It is what sets us apart from other people. We wanted to not only share our story but also to explain how others can take advantage of their own images to propel them to where they want to go and what they want to accomplish.
How can we use image as a tool?
One of the biggest ways we recommend using image as a tool is by identifying where you want to go or what you want to accomplish. How do those who have already accomplished that thing present themselves? Is there a way you could rise to their level — or even outdo them? Start there.
What easy steps can we take to make the most of our image?
If you don’t feel confident in identifying the checklist you need to achieve the image you want to project, you will need to trust others to help you. Keep that circle of trust small. More outsider opinions isn’t always better. Ultimately, this is your image, and you are the one who should feel confident in it.
If you feel the need to explain to others why you are or are not dressed a certain way, you’ve probably done something wrong. On the flip side, how great would it be to walk into any room and any situation confident in what you’re projecting? This intentionally crafted image is your ticket to that place.
