The RISE of

Workwear

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How innovation in the UK workwearmarket is gathering momentum

Features on:

! BTC Activewear’s plans for 2009

! Designing the perfect exhibition space

! Corporate and workwear fabrics

PLUS MUCH MORE!

Issue 5: January/February 2009

The international magazine for the corporate clothing, workwear and PPE supply chain

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The Rise of

WorkwearIncreased competition in the European workwearmarket is driving design innovation and service inthe UK as never before

In Europe and now increasingly in the UK, people wantto go down the pub after work in the same kit that theyhave been at work in and not feel ashamed of it

Whether you go to exhibitions, conferences,board meetings or even the water cooler,the word on the lips of the workinggarment industry is still ‘workwear’. Thegrowth of the global workwear market has

been well-documented over the past five years or so andyet it shows no sign of removing itself from the limelight.And why should it? With growth expected to continue overthe coming years, it’s only natural that more and morebusinesses should jump aboard for a slice of the action.But as competition increases and customers’ expectationsare raised, the real question is what are businesses doingto distinguish themselves in this market? director-e spoketo a selection of workwear manufacturers and suppliers tofind out how they are carving a path for the road ahead.

Image and service

The global workwear market is worth an estimated US$4.4 billion and is expected to grow by 8.1% between2005 and 2012, according to Just Style’s Global Review ofWorkwear Forecasts 2012 (2006 edition). Asia is predictedto represent 60% of the world growth, with Latin Americaaccounting for 45%. Meanwhile, the report suggests thatNorth America will witness only small growth and the highlycompetitive and dynamic European workwear market willremain static or even decline. The workwear market inEurope reportedly has over 700 work clothing producersor brands. However, changing industrial and consumerrequirements are still expected to drive growth withinspecific segments of it.

Tim Anson, Ph.D. from INVISTA, one of the world’slargest integrated fibres and polymers businesses, saysthat design innovation and service will be at the forefront ofthis: “Apart from the significant shifts in sourcing behaviourwithin the industry, there are shifts toward more stylish andfunctional garments for work clothing. Companies are alsolooking at how they can offer increased service packages.”

One of the driving forces behind the demand for morefunctional garments is the mounting focus on health andsafety. For example, legislation such as the CorporateManslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, whichcame into force in April 2008, will make employers thinktwice about whether their workforce is adequatelyprotected. Tim adds: “There’s increasing pressure to meetmultiple EN norms with a single fabric solution and

therefore garment, so this will drivefurther technical development offabrics and garments.”

The usage of INVISTA’S CORDURA®

fabrics within the workwear marketreflects this shift towards highperformance wear. Sales of thedurable fabrics, which offer harder-wearing properties, have acceleratedin the past five years along with thegeographical expansion of image wearwithin Europe. “Both employers andemployees have become moreconcerned with corporate and personalimage, which has driven the growth ofimage wear,” says Tim. “And thedemand for function and fashion hasencouraged garment makers tointroduce innovative design concepts ingarments and use fabrics andtechnologies with performance benefitsand aesthetic qualities.”

Combining work and leisure

With the market in mainland Europebecoming overcrowded, there’s more scopefor opportunities within the UK. Generallythought to be about ten to 15 years behindEurope in terms of workwear designs, the UKmarket offers companies that have alreadycaptured a sizeable share of the market on thecontinent a new platform for their products.Scandinavian manufacturers with more leisure-likestyles of workwear, for example, are already turningpeoples’ heads. Entering the UK market in 2000,Denmark-based Mascot International has createda niche for itself in high end workwear to witness 20%growth in sales between 2006 and 2007.

UK sales manager Mike Tottman says: “Our designsshow a real convergence with leisurewear, and that’swhere the UK market is going where workwear isconcerned. In Europe and now increasingly in the UK,people want to go down the pub after work in the same kitthat they have been at work in and not feel ashamed of it.”

WORKWEAR

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He admits thatthere is still a wayto go, however. “Ingeneral, the navyblue poly/cottonboiler suit is reallystill the vogue formost of the UK,as a lot ofmanufacturersthere aim theirdesigns atindustry.

“Scandinaviandesigners,however, lookoutside thisand say, ‘Whatabout the guyin the street?’

They try to mirrorthe casual look of someone who

wears jeans and a sweatshirt insteadof workwear so that you’ve got a garment that’spleasingly aesthetic to the eye but is morehardwearing and durable than the fabrics that aregenerally used in the UK market.”

A changing workforce

This type of workwear is proving popular with thechanging face of Britain’s professional trades.

“When you look at a building site, which is wheremost of our products are at the moment, andcompare it to 30 years ago, people in general areyounger. So, in our MASCOT® YOUNG range,which is similar to our HARDWEAR range forserious tradesmen, we offer new fabric colours,contrast stitching, baggy trousers andergonomically formed knees inspired by high streetfashion.”

Garments for the younger end of the market arealso a key area for Blåkläder - Sweden’s secondlargest workwear manufacturer, which has had apresence in the UK since 2004. “The design,cut and look of these working garments is veryimportant and that’s why we’ve introduced Pirateshorts, our 3/4 length knee pad shorts, and ournew X1500 Craftsman Extreme knee pad trousers,which have additional functionality and are cut tofit more like a modern pair of jeans,” says JeffAdams from the company. “We’ve alsorecognised that there are more women beingemployed in the professional trades so we nowhave a range, including knee pad trousers andhigh visibility clothing, designed and cut specificallyfor women.”

Whilst more professional tradesmen seem to beopting for the premium, highly functional imageworkwear, will this trend cross over into industry?Jeff says: “I think larger companies andcontractors are starting to realise that if they paymore for a quality garment, it lasts longer which is

Larger companiesand contractors arestarting to realisethat if they pay morefor a qualitygarment, it’s morecost effective,helps them tomaintain aprofessional imageand instil confidencein potentialcustomers

Pirate shorts from

Blåkläder

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more cost effective, helps them to maintain aprofessional image and instil confidence inpotential customers. The employee is also happier,more comfortable and feels more appreciated ashe or she is wearing a garment designed for theirspecific job.”

Mascot International recently picked up its firstsizeable industry contract with a company thatmaintains mechanical lifting devices. “In EuropeMascot has been supplying into industry for yearsbut it’s quite new in the UK for a Scandinavianmanufacturer to pick up an industry contract likethis. But just as exciting is that we’ve partneredwith a laundry company so that our garments aregoing through a rental contract and being washedthrough industrial laundries.”

Service is another reason why Scandinaviancompanies seem to be hitting the mark in the UK.Blåkläder says that, by owning the factories whereits garments are made, they have complete controlover production methods and can ensure thatquality levels are maintained. Last year also sawMascot set up a factory in Vietnam to give them avertically controlled operation.

More than a name

Aside from the Scandinavians, other big hitters inthe UK workwear market are the brands. Leadingworkwear manufacturer Dickies (UK) Ltd offers arange of head to toe industrial and fashionableworkwear for the professional tradesman as wellas PPE, high visibility clothing, flame retardantgarments and safety footwear. The company’ssales and marketing manager, Maurice Morton,believes that brands will only become moreimportant in the UK as the demand for highperformance workwear increases. “Customerstrust brands, it always delivers their expectations,”he says. “Dickies is trusted for functional workapparel and preferred for its durability, comfort,and value.”

Sales certainly appear toindicate this: in 2007,Dickies (UK) Ltd achievedrecord UK sales of £38million - 20 years afterentering the UK market.Partly due to this huge growth inthe UK, a £3.5 million expansionprogramme is now underway tocentre the company’s Europeanoperation at its base in MidsomerNorton, Somerset. Once work on thenew administrative facilities and anextension of the distribution centre iscomplete, the company expects tocreate 50 new jobs, bringing thetotal workforce to over 300.

“The strong brand image of thefamous Dickies horseshoe logohas certainly helped sales grow inthe UK,” says Maurice. “Itsproducts are now worn by filmand television stars, and this hasevolved it into a street fashionbrand in the US, Europe, SouthAfrica, Australia and Japan.” Thisfashionable element will continue to beprominent in 2009. “Last year saw us launchtwo products from our European Fashion range ofhoodies and T-shirts,” he adds. “These outsold ourexpectations and we have expanded it into an

exciting new range of young fashionableworkwear, which will be available in early 2009along with a range of Kodiak performancesafety footwear.”

Having some of the world’s top sportsmen andwomen wear its garments over its 120-year historyhas certainly helped to lend a cachet to Dunlop’sworkwear range. Launched in 2006, the collectionis already being sold in 27 countries. But Dunlop’sexpertise in sportswear technologies has alsoproved a useful crossover for workwear, wherethe demand for high performing fabrics continuesto grow.

Larry Pollock, managing director of PanworldBrands, which supplies Dunlop workwear in theUK, says: “We set out to create a collection ofquality workwear that the customer would be justas happy wearing for work or leisure. Thecollection covers trousers, jackets, fleeces, vestsand T-shirts, from basic fabrics to technical fabricsthat are designed to cope with extreme weatherconditions. These are waterproof, breathable, hi-vis, thermal insulation and moisture wicking toname a few.”

Snickers Workwear recently launched its mostadvanced GORE-TEX® workwear collection forthose working in the elements as well as its ‘FirstLayer’ range - undergarments made from wickingpolyester and designed to enable tradesmen andwomen to work in comfort when the cold weatherbites. It has also introduced a wide range of workclothes for ladies. David Clark, managing directorof Snickers in the UK, says: “When it comes tobrands, users are investing in top quality garmentsthat are cutting-edge in terms of design, comfort,material and produced to suit all kinds of

tradesmen and womenwherever they are onsite, whatever the working

environment or weathercondition.”

High or low

With a definite trend towards premiumquality garments, where does this leavelower quality workwear in the UK

market? I think there will still be marketsfor both lower quality and premium

quality garments,” says Jeff from Blåkläder.“Some industries will always employ sub-

contract workers or be subject to high staffturnover, which necessitates a market for low

quality, cheaper garments.”

Tim Anson from INVISTA adds: “The future ofthe workwear market is in well-designed,functional comfortable garments and there isroom for both extremes of offerings within

that. Ultimately, the market will decidebased on the perceived value of thegarment in the specific workplace

environment.”

In an increasingly competitive market, the keymust be to simply offer the consumer what they

want - trends are a useful way of predictingwhat this may be, but, of course, it isn’t

an exact science. When it comes to service,though, who doesn’t want their order to comethrough in an instant? Flexibility and efficiency -whether through online shopping or next daydelivery - is fast becoming the norm in workwear,as in most other consumer markets. And, ascorporate, leisure and promotional wearcompanies enter the workwear market alongsideold hands, the stakes will only get higher andhigher as they compete for sales.

Dunlop workwear

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Snickers Workwear has designeda range of shirts that are cutspecifically for women