LONDON — There have been no cutting ties at Cop27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for the U.N. climate summit being held there until Nov. 18.

For the official group photo on the opening ceremony on Monday, political leaders and representatives from 190 countries posed of their best formal suits to debate climate change adaptation, climate finance, decarbonization, agriculture and biodiversity over the following week.

The somber image is miles away from the more relaxed scene on the forty eighth G7 Summit in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi; Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; French President Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; U.S. President Joe Biden; then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stood on a bit of wood plank in crisp white shirts with collars popped open and no neckties in sight.

That affair was an ephemeral breath of fresh air from the standard hustle and bustle of political uniforms.

At Cop27, it was back to business and ritual as a majority of the leaders opted for the secure, classic suit in black, navy and grey. 

The standouts on the summit were the leaders from the Arabian Peninsula and African continent wearing traditional dress from their native countries.

Crown Prince and deputy Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah; Saudi Arabia Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, and Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa all donned their gold trimmed bisht (a cloak typically created from camel hair and goat wool) worn with a keffiyeh and agal, the standard scarf with the black cord accessory to maintain it in place.

Director-general of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wore a navy blue wax print top and skirt with an identical gele, a standard head tie.

“As an entire, it feels stiff, detached and traditional, with the one strength of personality or presence coming from the leaders wearing more elaborate clothes,” said Peter Bevan, a London-based menswear stylist.

“It seems the western world is out-of-date, in stark contrast to those that are clearly pleased with their culture.”

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wore a dusty pink double-breasted blazer with a pink T-shirt and small beaded necklace. Her uniform of statement blazers with black trousers has been standard because the early 2000s when she was a part of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet.

Britain’s recent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who did a U-turn on his decision to attend the summit, arrived on the airport in Sharm El Sheikh wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up paired with navy trousers and Oxford brown shoes.

Sunak, a sharper dresser than his predecessor, later donned a black suit with a printed turquoise necktie for the official photo. He has been an important supporter of British tailoring, eschewing Savile Row and choosing a young, low-key tailor reminiscent of Henry Herbert, who makes a big portion of his suits.

Just a few days earlier, Sunak was mingling with Stella McCartney during a reception hosted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace for Cop27.

“I do think it’s not the top of the tie and so they’re not dying. I’m hearing from clients and folks that they’re buying ties more now because they’ve at all times been a extremely beautiful thing that doesn’t cost an excessive amount of money you could collect and boost your wardrobe with,” said Dominic Sebag-Montefiore, creative director of Edward Sexton.

The intention of buttoning up on the Cop27 is a sartorial message from the world leaders that they’re aware of the present issues surrounding everyone, reminiscent of the fee of living crisis.

“We’re currently in a state of crisis — recovery from the pandemic, to rapidly rising energy and gas prices which is forcing some European countries to return to coal fired power generation, and a few are even facing food shortages, so the leaders are perhaps attempting to send out a powerful message that they’re serious about coping with the numerous problems at hand,” Bevan said.

Despite the fact that fashion doesn’t at all times take to the essential stage at these summits, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment will likely be presenting the Green Fashion program on the conference. 

This system was arrange in 2018 by three native youths to tackle and lift awareness around ethical fashion practices in Egypt.

If the political leaders leave with one thing on Nov. 18, it needs to be the acknowledgement that fashion is as much a component of the climate change conversation as gas and oil.