With the return of in-person working due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many retail, hospitality, recreation, and reception businesses have switched to personalised clothing to make themselves stand out.
Creating custom workwear through embroidery or printing allows businesses to showcase their brand and convey critical customer messages, such as contact information and staff names.
So how can a business choose their custom workwear? This article, created by workwear experts Alexandra, will help guide you through personalising a business uniform.
Step 1: Consider what you want personalisation for
Staff uniforms are valuable real estate for conveying information to customers, so make sure any design you choose is functional and stylish and fits your brand’s look and feel.
Start by choosing the kind of look you want for your workwear. For example, a tattoo parlour may wish for a bold design, whereas a chic restaurant may want something more pared back.
After thinking about your design flourishes, consider what colours and materials you want to use. You can click here to view some funky sock options to get a better idea of how woven and printed designs look. Additionally, some businesses may only need their brand name or logo on their items of clothing, whereas others may also want to add colleague names and even the business address.
Modern restaurants might even want to use printing to add a QR code to their staff uniform linked to the menu. This makes a fun, easy and contemporary way for staff to help customers order food.
Step 2: Make sure you find properly-sized clothing
Before you add your carefully chosen design to any attire, you’ll need to select a manufacturer that offers items in a wide range of sizes to suit every team member now and into the future. So look for those with proper sizing guides to help you get the right fit for your team.
At Alexandra, you’ll find uniforms that fit you properly by using our thorough sizing guides and online sizing systems.
Our sizing guides include tables for the specific high-street brands we stock (including Regatta and Skechers) and are sorted by all the countries Alexandra delivers to, so you can guarantee you’re getting the fit you want.
The countries include the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy and France, and the region of Scandinavia.
Step 3: choose the right customisation service for your needs
There are several different methods of adding your design to your chosen workwear, so you’ll need to select the one that gives the right look and feel with the right functionality for your business.
Embroidered workwear
Embroidery uses highly-accurate sewing machines to stitch your design onto your workwear with thread. It’s great for small designs needed in small numbers, ideal for local businesses.
Alexandra’s embroidery service uses high-speed technology and non-fade Madeira thread to create durable, colour-fast embroidery that will stand out even after repeated wash cycles.
With this technique, we can embroider your logo or design or just make numbers and letters in various conventional scripts.
Printed workwear
For high volume personalisation or larger, waterproof finishes in bright, sharp colours, Alexandra offers you a choice of highly durable print finishes to suit the garment and your budget.
- Screen printing: great for those who need to print photographic pictures onto clothing in large quantities. To print complicated images onto fabric, screen printing employs permanent, four-colour ink.
- Vinyl printing: best for those who need simple logos added to their workwear in low volumes. Vinyl printing uses heat applied imprints and creates a matte look for a reflection-free finish.
- Digital Printing: great for larger, more detailed designs in low-medium volumes. Digital printing uses heat applied transfers to give a unique design.
Step 4: Buy from a reputable supplier
You need to know your work garments are suitable for use within your work environment, so finding a supplier you can trust is paramount.
You should look for:
Workwear that keeps you and your customers safe
Choose from suppliers with clothing designed and manufactured by experts for specific job roles. Each industry has relevant safety standards that each garment must comply with to provide the right level of protection for your staff.
For example, Alexandra ensures all of our own brand garments are made from high quality materials. Where a garment is made for a specific role in a specific industry, we manufacture it to comply with the relevant safety requirements.
Clothing you’re sure will see you through the day
Find clothing made from high-quality materials that suit the role and come with an extended guarantee because only manufacturers that trust in the longevity of their clothing offer them.
At Alexandra, our own-brand clothing comes with a two-year guarantee to save you from worrying about its durability.
Shop Alexandra’s full range of customisable business workwear, including shirts, blouses, suits, footwear and trousers now.