I talked with one uniform company representative today who
said that their sales are 90% male-oriented.
We’re not talking deep-sea diving-suits, here. This is about high class corporate apparel. Another one volunteered that it was at least
a 2 to 1 shot, men over women in terms of sales in today’s workplace. The sheer volume of garments, styles,
fabrics, and items available to men compared to those accessible to women is
amazing. In general, uniform
manufacturers gear themselves to a predominantly male population in spite of
the preponderance of female workers.
The why of it, in addition to the reality that our working
class society has evolved more rapidly than the offerings of the uniform
manufacturers, is largely that women simply don’t want to look like other
women—particularly when a uniform is merely utilitarian and without a sense of
style. As one R.O.T.C. officer said when
she tried on her new military togs, “This isn’t just about being in the Army; I
want something that shows off my figure!”
The good news is that things are changing. Women are being heard not only on the shop
floor but also in the boardroom, and there are signs that “unisex” [politically
correct for “it’s really a guy’s, but a woman can get into it, too"] is
becoming passé. The supervisor is
finally coming to the reality that the “girls” no longer have to fit into men’s
pants.
Uniform companies are adding whole new lines directed at
female employees coming into male territory.
VF Industries, for example, has come out with an entire focus on women
in their updated Bulwark protective apparel line: A woman fire fighter or welder? Edwards Garment Corporation has re-styled all
of its pants and skirts not only because of changing styles and times, but
because there is a new recognition that women are in the corporate marketplace
to stay and want to look attractive as well as appropriate.
Microfibre has been a huge player for both men and women in
the uniform world. Easy to care for,
elegant, and soft, it’s a fabric that lends high class to a man, but also a
sleek, chic image to a woman: Suits, slacks, skirts, blazers, even blouses,
have never looked better.
The styles are more jazzed.
In 2007, the Hardwick Company came out with a drop-dead gorgeous blazer
that is long-lined, slimming, and made from a hazelnut Micro-suede. It couldn’t be more professional and feminine
at the same time.
These days, there are baseball hats, jackets, golf shirts,
fleece wear and casual apparel for gals.
The cap-sleeved fitted v-neck polo with a Johnny collar is a
favorite. Several companies are
manufacturing in ice-cream colors exclusively for women: Hanes, Bella, Anvil, Alternative, Great
Republic, and more. There are even
women’s boxer shorts and leggings.
Smocks: It used to
be that the only smocks in town were for the barber, the dentist, or the
pharmacist. They all had 3 pockets and
a zip front. Light blue or white. Period.
Now, there are estheticians—primarily women—who are in the business of
bodies and beauty. Suddenly, the
uniforms of the clinicians are more svelte than the street-wear of the
clients—every color imaginable and in every style. Not to stop there, lengthen these smocks to
labcoats: Sleeve variations, belts,
gathers, and hemlines. Science will
never be the same.
Hospitality and hotel wear are also narrowing the gap
between his and hers. In addition to
matching waiter and waitress, host and hostess, front desk and concierge
uniforms, there are back of the house ensembles as well. Housekeeping is no longer only about the
drab prison-inmate styled garb, but is adorned with cool, customized,
colorized, and spiffy-looking outfits.
Chef wear has added a touch of the feminine for women; aprons are coming
out in new colors and styles that take into account that women have busts, and
are entitled to look pretty while working.
It’s an atmosphere where skirts and slacks match pants. Blazers match coats, and blouses match
shirts. Vests are cut with double sets
of patterns—for women and men.
A lot of these styling accommodations have been in existence
for quite some time, you say. That’s
true. But what was a luxury before has
become a necessity now; women are insisting on having the same number of
choices, colors, patterns, and fabrics, as men.
Instead of the flat, utilitarian will-do humdrum schoolmarm appearance
of so many of the uniforms in the past, today’s corporations are focusing on
looks that captivate and enhance a woman’s beauty in accordance with her
professionalism.
End-users know that appearance can make or break a deal;
manufacturers are aware of this and have begun to gear up their feel for
fashion and practicality in the workplace.
As the years go forward, let’s see what unfolds. Will these ventures into gender-pleasing
aspects of apparel bring more customers to our industry or will they merely be
wasted on a group that still wants to do its own thing—where every girl counts
on looking unique and different from her peers?
