Gripflex Corporation: A Half Century of Elegance & Innovation: UniformMarketNews.Com

In 1954, 46 year old William Lowney had an idea that possessed him.  It began in his four-car Philadelphia garage as he and his wife, Annette, patented a gizmo called a boot band.  This little braided band, with its splash of olive drab color, fit around the tops of military boots and kept pants tucked tightly inside the footwear; they at once “gripped” the top of the boot but “flexed” when an individual stepped: Hence, the Gripflex Corporation was born. 

Lowney initially began his journey of selling his product from town to town along the eastern seaboard, potential customer to potential customer, until his gadget took hold.  And indeed it did.  From there, it was a small step to add the product of shoulder cords, each cord being handmade, even today.  Shoulder cords inspired citation cords, shoulder knots, epaulettes, and the selling of braid, itself—flat, soutache, edge cord,  and the rounded tubular.  Lowney focused on what he felt were basic stock colors (custom dyed colors became available upon request) as he broadened his clientele to include schools and marching bands, hotels and theatres, police, postal, and security uniforms.  The creation of the Lowney braid business was on its way.

Twenty-year old son George abandoned his job in a grocery store and eventually took over the firm, maintaining his father’s original goals and standards while growing the business at the same time.   Moving out of the garage, Gripflex currently boasts 15,000 square feet of braiding machines and inventory, as well as over 40 employees who at once do the hands-on work, and assist with customer service in the front offices. It is one of two braid houses that remain in the United States, today.

All of George Lowney's children have played an active role in the third generation of family ownership, but it is Michael Lowney who has been in charge for the last 11 years, adding his own innovations to the company.  Not squeamish about trying new things, Michael has inspired such ideas as stretch braid for garments where a fixed flat braid impedes movement and is destructive to the fibers of the braid itself; there are the lighted band accessories, developed by JF Magic—shoulder cords that are actually battery operated and work off of LED fiber optics, so that marching bands and other groups wearing braided uniforms may be seen at night; supported by his brother, Steve, who developed the corporate website, Michael also has attended multiple trade-shows, attempting to develop new audiences for his products; and he focuses on providing excellent customer service with state of the art communication tools. 

One of the finest tributes to Gripflex is that many of its staff have remained loyal—some for as long as 40 years—no mean feat in today’s transient world of employment opportunities.  Several members of whole families work both office and production, with no thought of looking elsewhere for a job.   The Gripflex family is so closely knit and so professional in its operation that Michael feels each individual is able to take responsibility for his own time and his own job; the level of trust he has in his colleagues is beyond reproach.  Gripflex is open five days a week, on a 24 hour production schedule, running three shifts: A true definition of successful initiative.  

During the last several years, the Lowney’s have looked at offshore manufacturing for their products.  They readily acknowledge that it would be less expensive to do so, which is an important factor from a business standpoint.  However, Michael is adamant that he will continue to be an American manufacturer as long as he can, even if it costs a little more.  He is fiercely proud of his commitment to our economy, and to his sense of patriotic loyalty.  It is not all idealistic, however, as he cites quality control, customs, and several of his clients, such as the U.S. military, that insist on buying American.

Michael Lowney is not an old man:  He is 42 years old, with two young children, and a wife who is a stay-at-home mom.  Nevertheless, he reflects that even in his short tenure, let alone those of his father and grandfather, that while the braid business itself has not changed significantly—because it is fairly static in terms of its decorative abilities and how it’s applied—the garments for which braid is used have changed enormously.   It used to be that the big band houses would purchase loads of braid for fabulous and showy marching uniforms made of woolens and polyesters.  Today’s garments are less about braid and chauvinistic old world regalia but more about a kind of “Star Trekky” tighter fitting stretch appeal.  Noting the passing of history even in his business, he reminisces. 

“The colors are the same, but the fabrics, the styles, the garments are totally different,” he says.  “We’ve had several of our customers since the ‘60’s, but the volume is down because so many things have changed.  In addition, he reckons with the reality that so much is indeed going on offshore, and that many of the smaller American “mom and pop” shops are gone.” 

“We’re in a small industry,” he admits, “and there’s only so much of the pie to go around.  Still, we’re very lucky, considering what’s going on out there in this economy, that we’re doing as well as we are, so we must be doing something right.”

With that, Michael Lowney smiles about the Gripflex Corporation and admits he’s looking forward to the next 50 years of successful production, and that hopefully, his own children will be the fourth generation to become involved in this very fine and creative company.

Gentleman's Agreement: A Disappearing Trend: UniformMarketNews.com

"So many things have changed," Dave Hindlemann reflects. "It used to be a handshake was a man's word. Now, it's lawyers and contracts – cut and dried. The personal element is missing."  (“Made to Measure Magazine," Spring/Summer, 1997).

If you’ve been talking with your colleagues lately, or even if you’ve been involved personally, you’ve probably noticed that our society has changed when it comes to the way in which it does business.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aside, credit crunch and housing markets, too, the uniform industry has been hit with the same kinds of changes in ethical behavior—not only from customers, but from our own small family of apparel manufacturers and suppliers.

More and more, companies are refusing to lend credit, expecting prompt payments with 50% down and balance prepaid before delivery.  More and more customers find themselves short and not wanting to pay their bills, no matter how loyal they’ve been in the past.  Return authorizations are being required from corporations that heretofore accepted merchandise sent back as a matter of courtesy: Good will is no longer the name of the game.  One or two bad customers can shift more friendly relaxed business policies away from good will, towards harsh, stiff penalties. 

Companies that have previously been referred to as being legitimate have no qualms about writing out contracts or purchase orders, and reneging on them without blinking an eye.   Jobbers who buy and sell goods are paradigm.  They offer rock bottom prices, insist the selling customer wrap and label every bolt of fabric (costing hundreds of dollars in labor), change the terms as much as two or three times, and then feel free drop the contract, altogether, knowing that a lawsuit against them would cost the aggrieved party far more than any sale would be worth.  A legal piece of paper means little.

Leading suppliers in the industry find themselves being “stiffed” over and over and over again as manufacturers drive their businesses into the ground, bankrupting themselves rather than closing up before their accounts can be paid.  It’s not one supplier; it’s not one manufacturer; that’s the tragedy of it.  It’s become a trend.  It’s almost as though one’s fellow human being doesn’t matter any more.  When President Harry Truman said, “The buck stops here, he was referring to responsibility—fiscal and otherwise—not his inside pockets.

Commission sales?  Repeat sales?  Whatever happened to customer loyalty?  Whatever happened to a vendor calling on loyal customers?  Whatever happened to salespeople respecting colleagues’ territories?  Whatever happened to companies who used to sell strictly wholesale, but have decided additionally to sell retail, and also undercut their own sales forces by going direct to the customer with a cheaper price than a salesman could offer?

Whatever happened to identity companies that used to make their money solely on embroidery or screen printing—that now sell garments at cost to retail customers in addition, so that the uniform companies have to struggle to compete with those on whom they once depended for wholesale service?

Sound like a lot of whining?  No.  It’s about business ethics:  Respect for one’s fellow, and genuine love of a game that includes the players as well as the rewards.

Women are treated shamefully.  One woman who owned a contract shop first had to bring in her father to gain respect, and then her husband.  The irony is that her 50+ employees are 99% women.  It’s not only about men, but women themselves don’t respect other women as leaders in our industry.  Another smart, savvy gal with whom I spoke waxed philosophical and said that one must be tolerant, bite the bullet and keep one’s mouth shut, not stooping to the level of those who insult people merely because of their gender.  Sounds stoic and mature.  Not so easy to do. 

There was the company who lifted all the drawings from one website to its own, copyright laws aside.  It wasn’t about a link.  The kicker is that the one company was actually doing business with the other at the time of the thievery.   How sad that in such a small and close group of professionals such as ours, each business—mostly small in size, as we struggle to band together to survive  offshore manufacturing that is biting at our heels—has to sleep with one eye open, so to speak. 

Independent contractors are often of a dubious sort at best:  Deadlines and quality control are mysteries left unsolved until the work is turned in.   One can only hope.  

Still and all, it must be said that there are the good guys, too.  What’s encouraging, it isn’t about age.  One might think would be.  There are younger people and older people who are kind, disciplined, and principled; a part of old school values.  Make no mistake that such is the case.

Vendors pitch in to help one another in a tight spot, all the time.  And it’s swell.   However, it’s not about whole companies or general policies any more.  It’s not common practice, but rather the exception to the rule.  People are nice, people take an interest.  But the reality is our industry is so besieged by offshore pressures and survival tactics, the real people who matter often get lost in the shuffle.  That’s what’s sad.


The important thing is that when you go home, you want to be able to sleep at night.  If your approach and behavior toward your customers and colleagues are quite literally the same as those with which you would want them to treat you, then you know you’re on the right path.  If not, perhaps you need to make some changes.   There’s nothing wrong with being competitive or wanting to win the sale.  But there’s a tragedy if it’s at human expense when the price is good will, trust, respect, integrity, and responsibility. 

Ragtime Cowboy Joe: UniformMarketNews.com

I’d like to say a few words about the cowboy shirt, (or perhaps I could hum a few bars if I were a Country Western singer).  For many, this particular item may be somewhat unfamiliar—either because one grew up in a part of the country that doesn’t have cowboys, or because one is just too young to have been exposed to the culture of the Old West.  But for those who do remember Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry, they can readily acknowledge that the cowboy shirt is as much a part of our American heritage as those cattle punchers, themselves.

The actual garment, as it is today, was developed by Jack A. Weil, who came to Colorado in 1928, and eventually perfected a shirt that appealed to the modest income of the men who worked the open range.  Certainly, there were men herding cattle long before Weil, and who continued to do so even as the legend of the Wild West was coming to a close—a result of the settlers who came in droves. But Weil is the one credited with giving the official shirt its modern-day appearance.  As he said, the West is a state of mind: It didn’t have a specific place or time; he built on that concept, with the myth being more prominent than the reality.   

It was Weil who put snaps on the garments, for example, instead of buttons:  A snap couldn’t be torn off by barbed wire fences, a cowpoke was not going to sew on a missing button, and a steer couldn’t catch its horn in the button hole.  The broad yoke across the shoulders tended to make a man look larger, stronger; the tighter upper arms gave the appearance of bigger muscles, so that the cowboy tended to look as heroic as the legends that were written about him.  The sawtooth scalloped pockets kept tobacco pouches inside: Whereas a standard pocket was too open, these had flaps that snapped shut. Wide, snug cuffs kept dirt, campfires, and critters at bay.

The garments were worn regularly by presidents such as Johnson and Reagan, movie stars such as Elvis Presley and Robert Redford, and everyday folks just like you and me—cattlemen and city slickers alike.  Certainly, they became a part of the giant entertainment industry, whether it was “Gunsmoke,” “The Rifleman,” or “True Grit”—radio, television, and film.

So what, you ask, does all this have to do with uniforms?  Everything.  The whole purpose of the uniform is to set a person apart by defining his separate and unique role from the surrounding milieu.  It’s about identity.  It’s about sameness within a range of variation: Everyone who wears a uniform dresses alike, but stands for or is doing something different from those who are not wearing that very same clothing. 

The cowboy shirt thrusts an individual into a different culture, a different time period, and a different place from where he would ordinarily and otherwise be.  Yet, every cowboy can easily identify with all of the other cowboys because they have the same cowboy dress and the same cowboy values.  There is a sense of unity that is strongly present.

The everyday cowboy shirt, made of chambray, denim, a cotton flannel, cotton or a poly-cotton, is what is most commonly worn. They come in stripes, plaids, checks, solids, calicoes, and prints.  Referred to as work uniforms, the cowboy styling can be seen on the open range, or the plains behind a tractor.  It can be seen at the gas station, the repair shop, at the grocery store, or in church on a Sunday morning.  Many folks prefer the tighter western cut pants and the western-styled shirts to the standard cuts and looser fits.

Using the cowboy shirt for performances, it becomes a costume, but a uniform, nevertheless.  Everyone matches, basically does the same thing, and is set apart from the greater whole.  The great cowboy shirt designers, such as Turk and Nudie were extraordinary in their day—when legends such as Tom Mix, Rex Allen and the rest were all great idols who represented independent, rough-riding Americans. 

These shirts were and are still made with hand-set rhinestones, custom applied braid and cording, and embroidery discs that are thirty-forty thousand stitches per disc, with as many as six discs per shirt.  They’re made of heavy polyester, poly-wool, or charmeuse and satin fabrics, and cost upward of $500 per garment.  In and of themselves, they are works of art.

But make no mistake: When you watch the Rose Bowl parade or go to the state fairs; when you attend the National Western Stock Show in Denver, or follow the rodeos around the country; when you go to Nashville, or watch the round-up’s in Wyoming and the Northwest; if you travel to the Southwest or to National Park country; if you encounter a state patrol or the sheriff, you’ll see cowboy shirts.  

It’s a sad passing that the cowboy shirt isn’t as ubiquitous as it used to be, because it stands for a part of the American character and time that is becoming less and less of a presence.  It stands for American values that, like the shirt itself, are unique during all the history of civilization.   Pragmatic, practical, innovative, remarkable, stylish in an uncompromising and non-traditional way: That’s the American cowboy shirt, that’s the West that it represents, and that is the fiber of our nation.

       

Trends Or Traditions--Are Uniforms Still Uniform?: UniformMarketNews.com

A guy telephoned the other day and said that his corporation is going to revolutionize the uniform business.  He said that the bigger companies are antiquated, outmoded, and little more than fuddy duddy in an ever changing world.  Navy, grey, black, and burgundy are out.  So are classic and traditional.  He said people want uniforms that don’t look like uniforms.  They want style, fashion, flair, color.  Fabrics with zip and zing.  

He steered me to another manufacturer (whose catalogue looks pretty much like the others, just between us), but said that these folks had the greatest cocktail dresses, and that made all the difference.  Imagination with a swish: The wave of changing uniform styles, he insisted.  Could be.   But you couldn’t go by me.  The dresses were indeed lovely, albeit not for the chronologically or horizontally challenged. 

The uniform business today is pretty much open season.  That’s the good news and the bad news.  On the one hand, anything goes.  Everything from hot pants and halter tops, to ankle length skirts with finger tip jackets and jewel necklines. 

On the other hand, there are no real guidelines for buyers or sellers to follow, and no sense of place or decorum to set a style or a universal tone.  Some uniforms are so generic, that without their name badges or security I.D’s, it’s difficult to tell who the employees are.  A policeman pulled up to my shop the other day in a navy golf shirt and khaki shorts—I thought he was a camp counselor until he pulled his badge out of his pocket.

It’s tough for the customer to know what’s what; a sales rep who doesn’t know his client and the market—who hasn’t thoroughly done his homework—won’t have much luck making that sale if price points, delivery dates, and sparking the GM’s fancy, haven’t been key elements in his presentation.  It’s not unusual that today’s customer will want a blend of fashion from five or even ten different catalogues plus customization. 

Some companies want casual, some want more formal.  It doesn’t matter any more, because each company sets its own standards.  But don’t kid yourself; political correctness matters.  A restaurant wanted to order 300 custom made tops: A little bit of decollate with ruffling and a lower neckline.  Turns out, one waitress had a larger bosom but was modest.  All 300 garments had to be re-designed with a higher neck and extra buttons to cover one woman’s cleavage.

Some groups want polo shirts while some want woven shirts.  Others want a choice of both.  There are those who want uniform strength and laundering care, while others prefer a color or look that will not be found in more standard uniform garb.  Chances are ready-to-wear industrial shirts won’t come in hot purple, for instance.  There’s no call for them, no volume, no profit.  Conversely, you’ll find an entire group of Shriners on the golf course wearing cargo shorts in this very same regal shade.  Go figure.

Certainly, the traditional corporate motif remains the tried and true.  Despite the critic who distains the more conservative approach to uniforms, there’s a lot to be said for one style fits all—or almost all—and a dressier appearance that reports a sense of professionalism and pride in one’s position.  One can also say the same of the casual approach with the polo or camp shirt, and a sharp pair of slacks.  Of course, there’s always industrial garb with an enormous variety of shirts, pants, coveralls, jackets, and the like.  Hats, sweaters, aprons, gloves, belts, ties, and all kinds of accessories?  Of course.

But to be sure, with six generations in the workplace, new fabrics, global focus when doing business, the infusion of multi-culturalism, environmental awareness, more women, plus androgyny, what used to be called “the” uniform for a particular career position is just one of many styles in today’s world. 

Business organizations want blazers in off-shades:  Baby pink or turquoise blue for the gals, bright Popsicle orange or Kelly green for the fellows.  Female bartenders are into backless tuxedo vests that tie rather than have adjustable straps with slide buckles: “We don’t want to look like we’re wearing seat belts,” they say. 

Scrubs are taking on a whole new appearance.  The Asian look is “in.”  There are the standard O.R. types, and the upgraded cute prints, all in new and more flattering lines.  Then, there are the fabrics with patterns that are so color coordinated and stylish that the garments almost need a parasol and matching shoes to accompany them to surgery.  The other day, I had a woman call who wanted stethoscopes in multiple colors to match each of her outfits.   Do they exist?  Yes.

I think the winner of the Most Unusual Uniform Award goes to the infra-red camera company that wanted shirts and pants to match the color tomography it uses to test structural insulation temperatures. The bodies of the shirts were yellow with lime green sleeves, deep purple collar and cuffs, a royal blue placket, and a red pocket to match red pleated front pants.  The buttons were black.  Was the concept more innovative than a traditional scarlet red Victorian doorman coat with a silver and white striped Valencia vest?   Not in the slightest.  Just different.

Currently, all styles, fabrics, patterns and designs are in the forefront of the uniform industry.  It’s only a question of creativity and wise assessment in the mind of the salesperson when it comes to working with the customer.  It’s no longer about thinking outside the box; in today’s world, the boxes no longer exist.

Fit To Be Tied: UniformMarketNews.Com

Recent statistics tell us that a mere 6% of the eligible population wears neckties these days.  In Japan, it’s reported that working men and women, by taking off their coats and ties, are saving millions of dollars in energy costs because their offices can now be four degrees warmer as employees are four degrees cooler: A casualty of global warming.  All over the United States, from governors and mayors down to the working man on the street, folks are following suit.  For many companies, casual dress-down Fridays are now five days a week.

In the winter, turtlenecks suffice instead of the standard decorative neck accessory.  In the warmer months, golf shirts, banded collars, mock turtles, T-shirts, and Henley’s take center stage.  Two-piece stand collar shirts—button-down or no—are worn with or without a sports coat, but sans neckwear.  Even world leaders don’t wear ties any more, and if they do, it’s not as frequent as it used to be:  Comfort before protocol.

In some countries, it is standard bill of fare that no neckties are worn.  Particularly in Asian and Mediterranean countries, the tie is viewed as a symbol of decadent Western culture and values: Wanton capitalism and a kind of hedonism where purposeless beauty is valued over utilitarianism.

Truth be known, the tie has no practical value other than covering up a fat belly, buttons, or hidden food stains.  While one could argue that it keeps the neck warm and cozy, or that it holds one’s shirt together, the tie is really all about being a symbol of rank, status, school or organizational affiliation, and a piece of decorative beauty.  It can be very expensive or quite reasonable, depending on one’s purpose and pocketbook.  Generally, it is made of silk, wool, polyester, or cotton.  But it has also been made of the finest laces, and leathers. 

Ties represent a particular culture and time, depending on style and fabric.  The bolo tie, for instance, represents the American West’s cowboys and Indians.  The cravat is French, and goes back to the elegant days of Louis XIV at Versailles.  The ascot and jabot are inventions of the more Romantic 19^th century.  The bow tie is purported to have evolved from the cravat, originally being used to hold the collar of a shirt together, but is now paired with formal wear, buffoonery as with clowns, or with particular professions, such as doctors, attorneys, professors, and the like.  It is in a league of its own. 

The necktie itself, often called the four-in-hand tie (the knot resembles the reins of a four-horse team) really came into vogue with the Industrial Revolution in the mid 19^th century.  People flocked to cities rather than working the farmlands, and dress became more formal.  A worker needed a style that would not only keep out of the way when using machinery or doing his job, but at the same time urban culture was developing and the tie became a means revealing one’s place in society.  A banker wore a very different neck piece than a baker, for instance.

The necktie’s presence has been valued and maintained throughout the last two centuries, and a gentleman—no matter his income—would not be seen in public without his hat and tie.  This is particularly true of schools and the military.  The cliché “old school ties” is about more than good buddies and loyalties.  The necktie, with its rep stripes or club motifs, told about secret societies, fraternal orders, and officers’ standings.  Made from a wool Tartan or plaid, whole Scottish clans and their geographical locations were identified by their kilts, scarves, and ties. 

Today, however, such is not the case.  The tie has sadly become antiquated in the sense of general use.  When one figures that in China, as far back as the 3^rd century B.C., the emperor Shih Huan Ti was buried with the life size clay models of his 7,500 soldiers—each one different save for the fact that every soldier was wearing a silk necktie—it boggles the mind that within just the last decade, a tradition that has been around for over two millennia has all but unraveled. 

It’s true that some schools, preppy and corporate dress both for uniforms and for personal apparel still mandate ties.  Newscasters seem to be the last of the breed to sport the neckpiece in public.  But overall, despite the multiple offerings and the unusual designs that present themselves, the current fashion market has little demand for the tie.  Department stores are closing out their stocks, and uniform companies that specialized in neckwear are closing up.  Another tradition strangled by our rapidly revolving society. 

For women, it used to be that scarves were “in,” and for a while in the ’80’s, the newly defined feminist corporate career woman was all about the cross-over tie and various neck bows.  Security guards, and folks who want a perfect knot without the hassle of tying it themselves, go for a pre-tied clip-on style.  The good news about these is that they pull right off, and nothing or just a thin strap goes around the neck.  It’s a great safety feature, and also helpful for those folks who don’t or can’t have their necks bound tightly.  These, too, have been mostly abandoned.

The bottom line, if you’re thinking of going into the neckwear business, is to stick with jewelry.  The cloth appendages that once adorned a person’s appearance are disappearing fast.  While there are those who insist on the propriety of the tie, they’re becoming more difficult to find, and less sought after every day: Discipline and dignity in dress are out.   Sad but true, they are an anachronism in their own time.