Uniform…or fashion disaster?
Most of us have, at one point or another, had a job that required a ‘uniform’. All too often it’d be an ill-fitting polo shirt or blazer that your role’s predecessor went about his or her business in, and it definitely showed (or smelled if you were really unlucky)! Not exactly a glamorous or indeed inspirational aspect of the job. We’ve been thinking about uniforms a lot recently and it seems that issues like this are an all too common occurrence. Naturally, it begs the question; can a uniform ever be enjoyable to wear? Or even, dare we say it, fashionable?!
Sharp and on-brand
Here at Streamline we’re very much used to consulting on and producing uniforms for various sectors of business. Anything from creating hi-vis work wear for a haulage company, to high-quality fleeces for an animal charity and even lab coats for a laboratory. Now, it may be hard to imagine that these items could be considered ‘fashionable’ per se but we’d beg to differ.
Yesterday I sat in on a garment selection meeting for a large client who had office teams, engineers and drivers. On the engineers and drivers, the criteria used were around durability where 50% cotton/50% polyester would stand the pace. By contrast the office needed style and comfort and 65% Cotton/35% polyester would provide just that. As an option a 100% polyester polo shirt was being offered for office staff because these garments feel cooler and ‘breathe’ better. Polyester garments are used extensively in retail because they never lose shape or colour so that front-line employees can look sharp and on brand all the time.
More than just clothing
To us, there is absolutely no reason a uniform has to be low-quality, uncomfortable or embarrassing to wear. In fact, we believe it’s in the interest of business to make sure that they’re not. Low-quality materials will often mean that the uniforms will need to be replaced after a short time, especially if the employees wearing them have to undertake particularly physical work. Of course, it’s simply logical that uncomfortable uniforms can often be directly related to high staff turnover and inefficient productivity. The same goes for ‘embarrassing’ uniforms, there need to be some good incentives for your employees in place if they’re going to feel humiliated every time they come to work.
High-quality, good-looking uniforms can often fall down the list of priorities for many busy companies but as you can imagine they can quickly turn out to be a pretty crucial detail. Given the vast range of materials that’s available these days we can provide for pretty much any working conditions – waterproof, hard-wearing even eco-friendly workwear. These can go so far for those who wear them. Comfort and functionality are so important.
Bespoke, on-brand, unique
Colour choice is another aspect that we pride ourselves on. OK, it might be a while before we see some daring new hi-vis jacket designs on the catwalk at London Fashion Week – but with a massive range of colours and dual colourways available, your uniforms can be tailored to your brand and still look great.
There’s loads of ways to make an impact with your branded clothing, just get in touch with us to discuss your needs and we’ll surely be able to find a solution. Take a look at just some of the options we can offer in our workwear and casual collections and contact us today to begin your own bespoke uniform collection.