Work Uniform and Staff Clothing Tips
Do you want you and your people togged out in work clothes that are practical and fit for purpose? With the sort of gear that also promotes your business. Well, yes, of course you do. Because custom work wear is simply another aspect of your company that needs to be right. After all, how you’re dressed makes an impression. And it’s a lasting one. But, you need to know what you’re doing to create brilliant branded work uniform and stand out custom staff clothing. Needless to say, we provide high quality custom workwear and superb company logo printing. But, we’ve also put together some tips and info that should help before you even give us your design.
It’s no secret that making a success of any business means hard work. And keeping it that way is no easier. So, you need to make the most of every possible chance to give things a boost. High quality custom workwear is one of them.
Why have workplace uniforms?
We ought to consider the benefits of work clothing ahead of getting into the practicalities of producing the stuff. It’s fair to say that there are advantages for your business and the people working in it.
- When done well, uniforms give customers a consistent and professional image of your company.
- It acts as an advert, promoting your services or product to anyone who sees your workforce.
- Uniform clothing actually makes life easier for staff. It removes the need to buy or decide what to wear for work.
- In many ways, it’s good for employee moral and team spirit. Being dressed in the same fashion helps strengthen a sense of unity and shared purpose.
- Work uniforms are essential in some instances because staff have to be instantly identifiable as such.
Okay, let’s see how we get there. Because there’s very little better than employees happily sporting your company logo and looking good while they do it.
Creating work uniform and staff clothing
Tips for Brilliant Branded Work Uniform and Custom Staff Clothing
There may be some small change you can make even when you’re an old hand at sorting your company clothing. And anything that improves things is worthwhile. Particularly in a world where everyone is looking for those marginal gains.
1. Match your staff uniform to what you do.
The plain garments you choose to print and embroider are a big part of getting great work uniforms. It might sound obvious, but first and foremost they need to be fit for purpose. No plumbing and heating engineer wants to be crawling round somebody’s loft in a three piece suit. Okay, that’s a bit of silliness but you can see the point. It may be as simple as opting for short sleeves instead of long. Or a polo rather than a more formal shirt. Put plainly, the best work uniforms come across as being exactly the right type of clothing for the job.
2. Stick to your colours.
Keep it consistent when it comes to colours. To explain, it’s highly likely that your current branding will have a colour palette. If so, it makes a lot of sense to echo at least some of this in your work uniforms. Of course, it doesn’t have to be exact. For instance, picking up a highlight colour from your existing design may be enough to make work clothing fit in with your brand identity.
3. Styling for employee uniform.
Nowadays, most garments come in a variety of styles and fittings. For example, you can find lots of t-shirts that are slim fit, regular or oversized. Which is all well and good in that it gives us plenty of choice. However, you need to consider the diversity of your employees when choosing clothes to wear for work. Not everyone will be want a super chic, figure hugging number. It’s one of the reasons that unisex and standard fits are so often seen in custom clothing collections. Basically, they’re the most versatile. Beyond that, comfort really is crucial. Folk will be wearing these clothes for hours, day in and day out. Which means that the best custom staff outfits are always the comfortable ones.
4. Fabric.
Truth is, material matters with most custom clothes. But especially so with working gear. Any good staff uniform will take into account working conditions. By which we mean whether it’s indoors or outdoors, hot or cold, manual or clerical. As an example, cotton and breathable fabrics are often popular in warmer work environments. It’s also worth thinking about how easy the garment will be to wash and wear. Few employees will thank you for an outfit that takes undue time and effort to keep clean. And eco-friendly fabrics can be a great idea. That is, an ethical choice is one that speaks positive volumes about how your business operates.
Work clothing that works for your business
5. Durability of staff clothing.
Here at Fifth Column, we’re big fans of high quality blank clothing which stands the test of time. That’s our general outlook but we also think it’s a good idea for work uniform and staff clothing. For one thing, it’s a more eco friendly choice because short term, throw away clothes are incredibly wasteful. Plus, the quality of uniform reflects on your business. Do you really want customers to see your people wearing cheap and nasty?
6. Make your work uniform flexible.
Some uniforms will be very simple. Maybe just a customised polo or t-shirt worn with plain trousers or jog bottoms. It really depends on your field of endeavour. For some jobs, staff uniform needs to comprise several garments in order to make it fully functional. So, you’ll want different options if your staff face a variety of conditions during their shift. Give them the flexibility to layer or swap it out as necessary. We’re talking stuff like tees, polo shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, body warmers and jackets. All to match and with your logo.
7. Branding your uniform.
In most instances, this is quite straightforward. That’s to say, your company logo is the essential element. And nearly all firms will have a logo. Whether you’re a big business with lots of employees or a one man band doing it all yourself. And if you don’t have a logo? Well, it’s not a problem these days. Yes, you can get a pro designer to create one for you with varying degrees of expense. But, there are also plenty of other options that don’t cost the earth or are completely free. Just try searching for ‘logo design’ and you’ll find numerous sites that offer a variety of services. And remember, it doesn’t have to be super complex. As with t-shirt designs, some of best printed logos are very simple.
8. Choosing how to embellish work clothing.
When all is said and done, it’s a choice between print, embroidery or both. Clearly, these two types of customisation have different qualities. There’s no doubt that embroidered logos are popular with work uniforms and staff clothing. The main reason being that it brings a certain sense of premium quality to clothes. That said, high quality printing can look just as good. And it’s worth pointing out that how you add your branding may depend on what’s possible with the garment. For example, some jackets don’t print well so need to be embroidered. On the other hand, certain shirts can’t be successfully embroidered which means printing is the best way of doing things.
9. Give staff some guidelines.
Okay, all good, you’ve come up with a set of custom work clothing that ticks all the right boxes. But, there is one other thing to consider. And that’s making sure staff are clear about when and how they’re to wear it. Give them sensible guidelines to follow so there isn’t any misunderstanding. It’s only fair and should ensure the uniform is used as intended.
Well, that’s about it for now with our quick guide for creating staff uniforms here in the UK. Give us a call if this is something you’re thinking about. We’re more than happy to discuss your ideas for custom work uniform and staff clothing. Let’s get you kitted out in gear that looks the business and helps get the job done.