Company Uniforms: Practical Aspects beyond Covering Up

Company uniforms do more than just cover up employees. Uniforms even extend beyond branding and public image. They have to perform a number of vital tasks throughout the workday. As such, they have to be designed according to the people who wear them and the type of work they do.

Temperature Control

Clothing keeps bodies warm when temperatures drop below a certain threshold. On the other hand, it can also cause bodies to get too warm when temperatures start to rise. This conundrum requires manufacturers to pay attention to how certain styles and fabric choices contribute to temperature control.

It wasn’t until recently that science began developing textiles that could perform both functions. Imagine a textile that keeps you warm during the winter but cool during the summer. Would you want all of your clothes made of that textile? Uniform manufacturers love the stuff. Dual-purpose textiles make designing new uniforms a lot easier.

Freedom of Movement

Every piece of clothing restricts movement in some way, shape or form. For uniform manufacturers, it is a matter of the direction and amount of restriction. For example, consider the scrubs Alsco provides hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Those scrubs must not be so restrictive as to prevent nurses from lifting and moving patients. At the same time, they still have to protect nurses against the hazards of the healthcare environment.

Industrial uniforms are designed to protect workers against the special hazards they are exposed to. Yet workers still need freedom of movement so as to not jeopardize their safety in an industrial environment. The thing about freedom of movement is that it varies by industry.

Practical Usefulness

Uniform designers also have to take into account the practical usefulness of any particular design. For example, have you ever wondered why server aprons have so many pockets? It is because restaurant servers have a lot of things to carry. Between order pads, pens, napkins, and straws, they need the utility that plenty of pockets offer.

Practical usefulness is also variable according to industry. And even in a single industry, there is variability between workers. You can see that just by looking at the differences between server and dishwasher aprons. The two are by no means interchangeable.

Size and Fit

Both freedom of movement and practical usefulness are influenced by size and fit. Size and fit are both influenced by cut. In essence, designers have to be cognizant of worker needs when considering such issues. They cannot allow size and fit to be governed exclusively by aesthetic appearance.

An airline might want its cabin attendants to look sleek and svelte in their brand-new uniforms in order to create a certain image. That is all well and good, but if being sleek and svelte results in a uniform that fits too tightly, cabin attendants are going to be both uncomfortable and unable to do their jobs properly. Thus, their uniforms have to fit loosely enough to accommodate the type of work they do while still appearing as sleek is possible.

Designing uniform clothing is not as easy as it sounds. That is why uniform rental providers like Alsco work with clothing manufacturers to create everything from industrial-grade jackets and pants to professional looking uniforms for healthcare workers. They know that the right uniform design can make all the difference in the world.