Article - Formal and Corporate Wear Fabric Features
28 Mar 2022
Fabric Features of Corporate Wear
During the mid to latter part of the 20th century, typical corporate wear consisted largely of pretty standardised formal garments for personnel, employed by corporate entities. Many such formal organisations insisted that all employees in various white-collar roles be similarly attired in business uniforms during formal working hours.
Eight to Five in a Formal Business Suit
In South Africa, where each workday almost universally started at 08.00 and ended at 17.00, ladies and gents donned formal business suits before setting off to work. In those days and depending on what corporate wear suppliers offered, most business apparel and/or fabrics of which garments were made, were not washable. Corporate wear was destined for professional dry cleaning.
Dry Cleaners’ Bread and Butter
Consequently, men’s and ladies’ business suits provided many a dry cleaner with their bread and butter income, winter and summer. Since employees were invariably responsible for the cost of having their business attire dry cleaned, thus corporate wear was less of a perk at the time.
Significant Business Perk
Nowadays, the bulk of the extensive and comprehensive ranges of business clothing, available from reputable corporate wear specialists, such as South Africa’s XCO Group, are fully washable. Workplace apparel may be paid for/co-paid by employers. Thus, this corporate wear is a true cost-saving, business perk for personnel, who no longer need to spend hard-earned income on acquiring their own apparel that’s compliant with an employer’s dress code.
Fabrics – Then and Now
Besides the earlier additional and ongoing dry cleaning costs associated with trousers, jackets, skirts and dresses that were made of natural fabrics like wool, it would take some time for producers of woollen textiles to develop a variety of wool textile weights. Woollen attire may have been far too hot during long South African summers, whilst being warm and comfy during shorter, chilly winters.
Modern adaptations of woollen or wool-rich fabrics used in the production of modern corporate and other wear are now available with an enormous selection of properties, designed and developed for the comfort of customers, even those who previously tended to find that pure wool made them itch or felt scratchy against the skin.
Natural Textiles Shape Up
Maintenance and care for laundering a variety of natural fabrics that may be used to produce business attire are now much easier, because of innovations in processing natural, more user-friendly fibres. Whilst care should be taken with delicate materials, most quality wool, linen and cotton textiles are fully washable, without losing shape or shrinking.
Certain textiles’ tendency to crease, seemingly at the drop of a hat, has also been minimised by applying more advanced production and processing techniques. These advanced characteristics help to ensure that corporate clothing manufactured from washable fabrics such as cotton and linen has become relatively crease-resistant, ensuring that the wearer is presentably attired, compliant with companies’ dress codes.
Synthetics – a Novel Fibre for Corporate Clothing
In 1938 – 1939, nylon became the very first synthetic, manmade material; ladies’ stockings were the first apparel made of nylon, soon replacing silk stockings entirely. Nylon stockings were known as “nylons” in the USA, the country where nylon was developed. Nylons became a must-have for well-dressed ladies.
Subsequently, clothing manufacturers and customers took to garments made of synthetic fabrics in a big way, particularly for the production of business attire. Apparel made of synthetic fibres and derivatives took the business attire industry by storm, giving rise to wash-and-wear, non-iron clothing designs that dry quickly, ready to be worn again.
Best of Both Blends
Drawbacks there were too. Early synthetics weren’t particularly warm during winters, and failed to absorb moisture or breathe in warm temperatures. Fabric/fibre specialists then developed umpteen innovative solutions to remove the erstwhile negative aspects of synthetics, which now may outperform natural fibres.
Because corporate wear should provide comfort, plus look the part, “best of both worlds” blends of naturals and synthetics are popular choices for business attire. XCO Group, our company that specialises in corporate wear, is committed to the use of quality fabrics for garments that perform optimally, irrespective of activities and changing seasons.
Preferred Corporate Wear Specialists
With more than 230 000 products across 130 brands on offer, XCO Group is your top, one-stop, preferred wholesale supplier of formal and smartly casual corporate team wear and more. We custom-brand products according to your specifications, in order to best promote your well-dressed company’s brand, image and identity.
Right now, our friendly, experienced XCO team is on hand to assist you in your choice of corporate wear, fabrics and cutting-edge or classic garment styles. Right now, it’s a great time to contact XCO.