Customised Workwear: A Renewed Opportunity

The workwear market is steadily growing. According to estimates, this sector is growing at an annual rate of 5.6% to 6.5%, reaching a global value of $29 billion.

However, beyond the market growth, it's important to consider the opportunities offered by customising these garments. Customisation adds unique value to otherwise anonymous clothing, becoming an increasingly popular trend among companies in various sectors.

Customising lab coats, sweatshirts, polo shirts, work T-shirts, jackets, dungarees, and trousers with your brand or slogan immediately confers professionalism to the company and effectively communicates its competence. Actually, customised workwear has an annual growth rate of 7.22%, surpassing the general trend of the workwear market.

Customising workwear brings numerous benefits like personalised products or services: improved brand recognition, better customer interactions, and a more pronounced perception of presence and professionalism.

Interestingly, workwear has been celebrated as a source of inspiration and equality by designers at exhibitions such as those at the Nieuwe Institute in Rotterdam and the Triennale di Milano. This makes it even more relevant to transform simple garments into expressions of the wearer's personality and strength.

Where to Look for Opportunities

Customised workwear is becoming increasingly popular in various sectors due to its ability to strengthen corporate identity and enhance the team's professional image. Here are some sectors to consider and the positive effects of using customised workwear instead of standard garments:

• Medical Sector: Customised clothing for doctors, dentists, and clinical staff improves hygiene and professionalism, creating a more reassuring environment for patients.
• Physiotherapy Sector: Customisation helps distinguish various professionals and create a welcoming environment, facilitating client trust.
• Gyms, Wellness and Fitness Sector: Customised clothing for instructors and staff promotes the brand and improves team cohesion, increasing members' sense of belonging.
• Clubs and Associations: Customised uniforms for club members strengthen the sense of belonging and visibility, helping to promote events and sponsorships.
• Construction: Customised workwear and protective equipment enhance professionalism on the site, making it easy to identify personnel.
• Hospitality and Catering: Customised uniforms for chefs, waiters, and hotel staff create a positive and professional impression, improving customer experience.
• Retail Sector: Customised clothing for store staff improves team cohesion and customer experience, making the brand more recognisable and instilling customer trust.
• Cleaning Services: Customised uniforms for cleaning staff increase credibility and safety, facilitating the identification of personnel and the company.
• Logistics and Transport: Customised clothing for drivers and logistics operators enhances visibility and professionalism, increasing customer trust.
• Educational Sector: Customised uniforms for school staff create a more organised and professional environment, improving the institution's image and helping students and teachers identify support staff.
• Manufacturing Sector: Customised workwear for factory workers offers a sense of teamwork and cohesion, facilitating the identification of various teams or departments.
• Technology and Laboratories: Customised uniforms for technicians and engineers strengthen professional image and brand recognition, enhancing the perception of competence.

Benefits to Propose to Clients

Customising workwear offers several significant benefits that should be highlighted to potential clients. Here's a summary of how to create a compelling Value Proposition:

• Professionalism Improvement: Customised clothing contributes to a more professional and polished image, increasing customer trust.
• Enhanced Service Perception: Clients and partners perceive a higher level of seriousness and attention to detail, improving overall satisfaction.
• Strengthened Corporate Identity: Customised uniforms promote the corporate brand and increase visibility, creating visual coherence among employees.
• Improved Safety: Customised clothing can include high-visibility colours and durable materials, enhancing safety.
• Brand Recognition: For clubs and brands, customised clothing offers a unique sense of belonging and community.

Technologies for Customising Workwear

Here is an overview of the technologies for customising workwear:

• Screen Printing: Ideal for large volumes with simple designs, perfect for durable prints that withstand frequent washing.
• Embroidery: Perfect for a high-quality and durable look, ideal for logos and names on shirts and jackets.
• DTG (Direct-to-Garment): Excellent for detailed and colourful prints on cotton garments, ideal for small runs.
• Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV): A flexible technology for various garments. HTV materials can be cut or printed and then applied to create complex and multicoloured graphics. Roland offers both desktop devices for small runs and more performant machines.
• DTF (Direct-to-Film): One of the latest technologies for customising clothing. Very versatile for detailed prints, it offers excellent colour rendering and durability. Roland DG provides easy-to-use solutions with high colour rendering and onboard cutting functions for HTV materials.

Parallel Opportunities

Customising workwear allows printer professionals to expand their offerings to include other customised products such as bags, towels, hats, and various promotional items like pens, USB drives, tape measures, tools, and much more, increasing the overall profitability of the service.

Conclusion

The customised workwear market represents a significant opportunity for printers. Investing in the right technologies and offering high-quality products can lead to a strong market positioning, allowing differentiation and becoming a point of reference both locally and nationally, thanks to the possibility of online operations.

Participating in industry events (medicine, dentistry, construction, mechanics, HORECA, plant engineering) allows you to quickly reach new clients and develop tailored offers to profitably meet all needs.