Fashion in WeCrashed

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 Hello everyone, 

Today, we will be exploring fashion in a recent show I watched called WeCrashed. 

Introduction

WeCrashed is an American TV-series starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. The show dramatizes the rapid rise and equally surprising downfall of WeWork, a co-working startup once valued at $47 billion. At its core, the series is not only about ambition and hubris but also about how image, branding, and personal style shaped the company’s trajectory. In this post, I’ll share my perspective on how fashion and visual styling became critical to WeCrashed’s storytelling.

Fashion in WeCrashed plays a subtle yet powerful role in establishing the contrast between Adam and Rebekah’s carefully crafted image and the reality of their company’s unstable foundation. Jared Leto’s Adam is almost always dressed in casual clothes with a hint of entrepreneurship, wearing clothing like leather jackets, untucked shirts, designer jeans. I thought this choice made him seem rebellious and “different,” but also a little intentional, like he was performing the role of a visionary more than actually being one. In one memorable scene, Adam pitches investors barefoot, which I think goes back to what the general audience views as being an entrepreneur. Generally, entrepreneurs are viewed as scrappy, financially weak, while some even call them unemployed, which is what the makers of the show were trying to tap into when showing Adam as an entrepreneur.

[1]

Anne Hathaway’s character, by contrast, embodies a more philosophic, free-flowing, and spiritual persona. Flowing dresses, soft fabrics, and neutral palettes reflect her yoga-inspired worldview and her quest to brand WeWork as more than office space. In her eyes, it was supposed to be a “movement.” I noticed how her fashion seemed calming and spiritual at first, but the more I watched, the more I thought it came off as a cover for the contradictions in her lifestyle. Costuming here mirrors her attempt to market authenticity while still living extravagantly. This particularly stuck out to me, since this is a common contrast, we see with individuals who present themselves as advocates of spirituality and nature, yet do not implement those same ideas they preach in their daily lives.

Analysis

My interpretation of WeCrashed is that the show demonstrates how fashion can act as a form of subtle symbolic communication. Adam consciously branded himself and his company as disruptors. His wardrobe functioned as a means to send a message, a concept that explains how people control the image they project to others through clothing. I thought this was especially clear whenever Adam wore his casual outfits in serious business settings; he wanted to send a message that he wasn’t just another CEO. This also touches on the idea of choosing certain clothing to differentiate oneself and be unique, something Adam does throughout the show.

[2]

Rebekah’s styling likewise reflects her attempt to craft a lifestyle brand around authenticity and mindfulness. Although her actions contradicted those ideals, I saw a parallel in how we all connect fashion with a representation of ourselves. I think fashion is one of those things that is an easy change to one’s self-image, and something that can be externally altered even if we internally don’t match the image we present through our fashion.

Although when I initially watched the show, the fashion choices went unnoticed, I realized that’s what made the costume designs realistic and important. They reflected character psychology and corporate branding, aiming to be as realistic as possible and even aligned with the audience’s stereotypes. The show’s main intentions with fashion came from the need to make sure the personalities of the characters matched what the audience expected. Adam, being a financially weak entrepreneur, wears clothes that embody that vibe, while Anne, being a free-spirited spiritual woman, has a distinct fashion sense.

[3]

To highlight some scenes from the show, one example of Adam’s quest to portray himself as different from others occurs when he goes to a conference where he will be presenting his company in front of investors, businessmen, and entrepreneurs in New York. This conference takes place in a New York high-rise with attendees wearing fancy suits, expensive watches, and well-kept facial hair. Adam, on the other hand, enters the conference wearing semi-formal attire with unkempt hair and facial hair, which ultimately lands him attention, whether positive or negative. Adam knows that whatever attention he gets, he can quite easily turn it into a positive one with the success of his company, his innovative idea, as well as his charm.

Alternative Perspective

By contrast, I realized that in today’s world fashion carries a strange dual weight. On one hand, it is undeniably important, it communicates identity, signals belonging, and can even influence the way others perceive our credibility or leadership. On the other hand, I think fashion can also be seen as ultimately secondary to more pressing qualities. A person’s education, work ethic, and actual professional merits often speak louder than the clothes they wear. In the long run, output tends to outlast style and impressions. As an engineer, I see this idea play out often in professional settings. Oftentimes, one’s fashion sense, communication skills, or language skills are significantly overshadowed by more quantifiable qualities such as their technical experience.

Conclusion

Overall, the show WeCrashed was an interesting study of how image, fashion, and personal branding can drive corporate success. I thought the costuming choices were clever and intentional, reinforcing the themes of illusion versus reality and helping me understand why so many people bought into the WeWork vision. The series shows how fashion and style can be more than surface-level—they can become part of a company’s brand identity and even influence the way entire industries perceive value.

At the same time, I realized that fashion carries a strange dual weight in modern society. On one hand, it communicates identity, signals belonging, and can shape perceptions of credibility and leadership. On the other hand, it is often secondary to more enduring qualities like education, work ethic, and professional competence. As an engineer, I see this contrast often in professional settings. While someone’s clothing or communication style might set an impression, it is usually technical expertise and consistent output that carry more weight in the long run. But I do recognize the role of impressions and self-image in shaping opportunities and, more importantly, influencing how others initially perceive one’s potential.

Taken together, these perspectives highlight what made this such a compelling analysis. The show’s fashion choices demonstrate how even a series not directly focused on fashion can use clothing and style to communicate powerful messages and ultimately make the story feel realistic. I would recommend WeCrashed both for its storytelling and for the questions it raises about the balance between style and substance in professional life.




References

[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12005128/
[2] https://ew.com/tv/jared-leto-anne-hathaway-wecrashed-first-look-photo/
[3] https://movieweb.com/wecrashed-everything-we-know/
My name is Astro Aadhav, and I am a virtual Astronaut! I do blog posts once in a while about mostly Astronomy and sometimes about what happens in my life. My posts are bound to be interesting and I hope you will like them! Thank you for visiting my blog and don't forget to visit again. If you learned something, why not show your friends too Also, comment on the blog posts about what I should improve in my writing and what I should write about next!

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