The line between workwear and casual clothing is foggier than ever.
As fashion gets its inspiration from workwear, workwear gets its inspiration from fashion.
Workwear for the office has had to become more flexible to make way for people fighting to show their individuality. But in the fashion industry, people are looking to brands like Dickies for workwear-inspired fashion.
What does this mean for the safety clothing industry?
With an increase in younger people, women and different religions in the industry, safety clothing companies have had to adapt to these changes in a number of ways.
Yesterday I spoke with Luke Alcock (Head of Sales) & Matt Higham (Business Development Manager) at LEO workwear about how they’ve adapted safety workwear to fit in with today’s trends, both in clothing & job roles.
The challenge for workwear manufacturers is to create something that is stylish while also functional, practical and most importantly conforming.
When designing hi-vis clothing for professional use, garments must always conform to EN ISO 20471, with the intention of making the wearer visible from any angle.
LEO have looked at sportswear markets for inspiration on innovation. They looked at snowboarders, skateboarders and mountain climbers. Aiming to reduce the price of these jackets while keeping the same great quality and conforming to safety specifications they came up with products like the Exmoor jacket, with added articulation for freedom of movement and additional features such as wind skirts under arm pit-zips.
They also took inspiration from golf, seeing that the freedom of movement you need to use when playing, is much the same amount of movement workers would need while digging or other such activities. They looked at features in football shirts such as wicking because they know that for employees to work their best, they need to remain comfortable throughout the day. They also look at the general fashion trends around the world such as the bomber jacket, people want to look their best, you could say it is a bit of a vanity thing, but if you are feeling good then you are likely to work your best too.
LEO know that people love to carry their paraphernalia with them and thus was the superior waistcoat born. With a large pocket for an iPad, this allows safety officers to audit onsite and makes their job a lot easier and more enjoyable.
One issue with the hi-vis waistcoat is that workers may take a break, take off their hi-vis waistcoat and they are immediately non-conforming and shouldn’t be on site. LEO then created the hi-vis polo shirt, making your workforce a lot safer and more comfortable!
Female Workwear
LinkedIn stats show that these industries showed a major increase in women representation:
-Public Safety (+118%)
-Construction (+77%)
-Agriculture (+67%)
Surely females in these traditionally male-dominated roles can put up with wearing unisex clothing?
Wrong.
Not only is it ill-fitting, but it is also very unsafe to wear baggy clothes as they could get easily caught in machinery or equipment.
Leo found that there were many groups within society that didn’t have the ability to conform onsite. They worked with pregnant ladies to produce fitted, conforming maternity clothing and are about to release the first ever high visibility Modesty Tunic, which will ensure ladies can adhere to their religious beliefs whilst staying safe onsite.
^Maternity wear
^Modesty tunic
By offering protective clothing for everyone in any circumstance they are making it possible for you to live your dreams, beliefs and be anyone you want.
Check out the LEO range.
