Article - Quality Corporate Clothing for the 21st Century

10 Jan 2018

Quality Corporate Clothing for the 21st Century

 

Corporate clothing in one or another form has been part and parcel of mankind’s apparel for a rather long time. So what does "corporate” really mean? The word generally refers to a large company or group, typically with a common purpose or goal.

 

Wider, Occupational Context

Therefore, when applied to clothing, the phrase indicates the group members’ style of dress. The practice of adopting a specific type or style of clothing may also be used in a wider context, reflecting the occupation of otherwise unrelated people. The type of work they perform, possibly accompanied by a defined code of conduct, is all they really have in common.

 

Irrespective of where they work, chefs traditionally wear white jackets, checked pants and tall white headgear. Barbers also don white jackets, but indicate their (corporate) occupation with a red and white striped pole outside their premises. In hospitals, doctors and allied medical personnel wear green or blue scrubs when performing surgery or helping patients in the emergency department.

 

Many other occupations, organisations and institutions also have their own, unique uniforms – an alternative word for "corporate clothing”, be the wearers business corporates, scholars, military personnel, police, prison inmates or sports team members. 

 

Purpose of Corporate Clothing

Uniforms make it obvious to outsiders and the wearers themselves to which organisation the similarly dressed persons belong, their function and which sector they represent. Wearing of uniforms in some companies is compulsory for all employees – others may exclude senior management persons. Corporate clothing has several other purposes too:

 

•Group members may be identified easily, at a glance.

 

•Because all corporate clothing wearers are dressed similarly, those who are affluent and others who don’t have the means to buy work clothes are on an equal footing within their corporate environment.

 

•Everyone appears equally smartly dressed, and is appropriately dressed for their tasks and workplace function.

 

•No one needs to worry about what to wear to work.

 

•Having a uniform saves the group members’ time and money.

 

•Uniforms protect the clothing of persons in certain occupations in which wear and tear on garments is unavoidable.

 

•Corporate concerns can reflect the cost of uniforms supplied to employees as company expenses and deduct tax accordingly.

 

•Corporate clothing is an ideal medium for branding. 

 

•Branded garments enhance the corporate culture and company image, thus enforcing the strength of the brand which is being built.

 

•Customers and clients find a perceived credible brand image reassuring. 

 

•Brand familiarity and belief in the brand’s products or services generally lead to brand loyalty, an increased, sound client base and company growth. 

 

Corporate Clothing’s Historical Context 

 

In historical context, during 19th and early 20th centuries, the man of the house was the breadwinner, who either went out to work in a town or was involved in agriculture. In the former instance, he dressed in his smartest clothes, unless he was occupied in one of the trades.

 

Men’s frock coats and top hats were replaced with lounge suits and bowler hats, especially in England. Black was the preferred colour, particularly after so many lives were lost during the Great War – a time when people still observed a period of mourning by only wearing black outer garments.

 

Women seldom left home to work elsewhere. Those who did so were usually employed in service in the homes of the wealthy upper classes as domestic workers, cooks and maids, wearing dark dresses with aprons and caps. Fewer still worked as hospital nurses or sought an income in the textile industry. 

The sales ladies at Selfridges in London were the exception, wearing neat black dresses as their uniform until after WW 1. However, black suits became and remained the preferred basis of corporate dress for men and women until relatively recently. Modern corporate gear may be less formal, but it remains distinctive and neat.

 

Where to Buy Corporate Clothing

 

If you really want to exhaust yourself by running around to various corporate clothing suppliers to check what they offer, compare pricing, seek branding options and view sample pieces, you may need a holiday afterwards.

 

Alternatively, come to XCO Sport, a one-stop supplier of enormous ranges and plentiful stock of corporate and sports garments, workwear, accessories and corporate gifts. Our branding department can offer you top-quality, accurate branding solutions too, ideal for whatever you select for you personnel.