newsletter - director-e

newsletter 

JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE TOUGH DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN’T LOOK GOOD. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL +44 (0) 1452 633126, EMAIL.WORKWEAR@INVISTA.COM OR VISIT WWW.CORDURA.COM 


.© 2008 INVISTA. CORDURA ® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF INVISTA FOR DURABLE FABRICS. 


.© 2008 INVISTA. CORDURA ® ® 

IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF INVISTA FOR DURABLE FABRICS. 

® 

Issue 4 - October/November 08 

BI-MONTHLY: DEDICATED TO CORPORATE CLOTHING, WORKWEAR AND PPE 

Check out our Brands 

www.director-e.com 

www.fabricdirector-e.com 

www.workwearshow.co.uk 

Sustainability 

The latest initiatives 

from those leading 

the industry 

Features on: 

■ INVISTA’s gritty 

new campaign 

■ Corporatewear style 

with Allen & Douglas 

■ Protective fabrics 

and finishes 

PLUS MUCH MORE!

Welcome 

Dear Reader, 

This year, director-e is proud 

to sponsor one of the 

biggest events on the 

calendar: Expoprotection - 

the exhibition for risk 

management. At the 

show INVISTA and 

Klopman International 

will jointly launch, what 

they believe to be, the 

‘next generation’ in 

workwear fabric: 

Klopman Vantage fabric 

featuring CORDURA ® 

brand technology. 

To find out more about 

this exciting innovation 

and what else is being showcased in the workwear 

sector check out our exhibition preview on page 12. 

The launch of this fabric is one of the latest chapters in 

INVISTA’s CORDURA ® Editor: Catherine Christie 

brand campaign but it’s by no 

means the full story - this can be read on page three. 

In our other features: India may be some way behind 

countries such as China when it comes to off-shore 

manufacturing but it’s hotly tipped to grow over the 

next few years. In the light of this, Reena Mital reports 

on the new finishes that are being developed there on 

page six. 

Sustainable practices could be within reach of corporate 

clothing and workwear companies, no matter what their 

size, as we find out on page eight. One way of achieving 

this is by increasing the efficiency of your company 

through supply chain management. We spotlight software 

system ApparelGMS on page seven. 

British corporate clothing is continuing to close in on the 

high street when it comes to current trends. Corporatewear 

supplier Allen & Douglas demonstrates this with aplomb on 

page five, as it reinvents the uniforms of prestigious hotel 

group Thistle. Meanwhile, on page 11 UK building society 

Nationwide gives director-e a preview of the special 

collection that its staff will soon be sashaying to work in like 

true fashionistas. 

If you would like to present a new product or innovation to 

the industry you can email me at Catherine@director-e.com 

I hope that you enjoy the issue! 

Catherine 

2 


Contents 

Visit director-e at Expoprotection: Hall 5 stand A81 

5 

8 

2 Welcome 

Comment 

6 

13 

3 Workwear 

INVISTA reaches out to some of its 

toughest customers 

4 director-e 

There’s more to the industry’s media 

service than what meets the eye 

5 Corporate Clothing 

Allen & Douglas revamps the uniform 

of a major hotel 

6 Finishes 

Reena Mital finds out what finishes 

are emerging in the Indian market 

7 Supply Chain Management 

Software 

Look no further than ApparelGMS 

8 Eco Action 

Sustainable practices don’t need to 

be costly or time consuming for 

workwear, corporate clothing and 

PPE companies. 

10 Fabrics 

Janet Prescott gets a feel for the 

latest protective fabrics 

11 Nationwide 

Buyer Shelley Dodd discusses the 

building society’s new special 

collection 

12 Exhibition 

Our sneak preview of Expoprotection 

will help you plan your visit 

14 Uniform Solutions 

The former procurement manager of 

British Airways is on-hand to help 

15 Information 

Diary dates and news in brief 

Editor: 

Catherine Christie 

BA (Hons) PG Dip 

Catherine@director-e.com 

Fabric, Fashion & 

Trend Editor: 

Janet Prescott 

Janet@director-e.com 

International Editor: 

Reena Mital 

Reena@director-e.com 

Circulation/Subscription: 

Hannah Johnson 

Hannah@director-e.com 

Managing Director: 

Yvette Ashby 

Yvette@director-e.com 

Published bi-monthly by: 

Marston Consulting 

Limited/TA 

director-e.com 

South House 3A 

Suite 4 

Bond Estate 

Bond Avenue 

Bletchley, Milton Keynes 

MK1 1SW 

Tel: + 44 (0) 870 870 4578 

Fax: +44 (0) 870 870 4679 

Email: info@director-e.com 



The opinions expressed in 

this publication are not 

necessarily those shared by 

the editor or 

publishers. Although the 

highest level of care has 

been taken to ensure 

accuracy the publishers do 

not accept any liability for 

omissions or errors or claims 

made by contributors or 

advertisers, neither do we 

accept liability for damage or 

loss of unsolicited 

contributions. 

The publishers exercise the 

right to alter and edit any 

material supplied. This 

publication is protected by 

copyright and may not be 

reproduced in part or in full 

without specific written 

permission of the publishers.

PROFILE 

Brave New World 

A global campaign unveiled by INVISTA’s CORDURA ® brand 

celebrates the blood, sweat and determination of life’s adventurers 

A new episode has opened in the history of INVISTA’S CORDURA ® brand: the global 

integrated fibres and polymers business is honouring the achievements of CORDURA ® 

fabric users through a gritty and emotional advertising campaign to be launched in early 

2009. INVISTA says that the powerful new campaign solidifies its commitment to the 

passion of its consumers by reflecting the mindsets and challenging situations of those 

who use CORDURA ® fabric around the world. 

Honouring everyday heroes 

Known for more than 30 

years for its resistance to 

abrasions, tears and 

scuffs, CORDURA ® fabric 

- the registered trademark 

of INVISTA for durable fabric - is 

designed to work in a multitude of 

tough environments for a wide range 

of products, including luggage, 

backpacks, boots, military garments, 

workwear and performance apparel. 

Now, INVISTA believes it’s time to 

celebrate its users - those who, 

because of their lifestyles, jobs or 

hobbies, can benefit from a fabric that 

is just as durable as they are. 

Cindy McNaull, global brand manager 

for the CORDURA ® brand, says: 

“We’ve made a considerable effort to 

better understand the emotional 

connection that exists between the 

CORDURA ® brand and its loyal 

users. The new campaign really 

aims to celebrate those consumers 

by highlighting some of their 

greatest feats.” 

Hanging tough 

So how has INVISTA managed it? 

The company has used campaign 

advertisements that showcase 

unsentimental portraits of limitpushing 

situations to reflect the 

individual durability of adventurers and 

the essence of the CORDURA ® 

brand. The images burst with 

ruggedness, sweat, muscle and 

determination - revolving around the 

headline: As long as the world is full of 

durable people, we’ll keep making 

durable fabrics. 

Billy Barnes, creative director at 

Howard, Merrell & Partners, the 

strategic branding and advertising firm 

that developed the launch, says: 

“There are people out there who do 

extremely brave or challenging things 

either for their jobs or just for fun. 

Who better to honour these 

individuals and the adventures they 

face than the fabric brand that is right 

there with them?” 

The new campaign made its official 

debut at the Outdoor Retailer 

Summer Market in August 2008 in 

Salt Lake City, where a series of 

concept adverts were displayed as 

well as a “How Durable Are You?” 

story contest. The fully developed 

campaign will launch, however, during 

the first quarter of 2009, and 

integrated global communications will 

be targeted toward the workwear, 

outdoor, luggage and military 

segments through print, interactive 

and various other forms of media. 

A strong presence 

In line with the focus of the new brand 

campaign, the CORDURA ® brand will 

also be making its presence felt at 

major events within the workwear, 

corporate clothing and PPE industry. 

To support and recognise the 

individuals who drive the European 

workwear business, INVISTA’s 

CORDURA ® brand has signed up to 

become the overall sponsor of the 

first Business Manager’s Awards at 

the Workwear and Corporate Clothing 

Show in April 2009. Susannah 

Rayfield, European brand manager for 

the CORDURA ® brand, says: “We’re 

honoured to be associated with such 

an event and, as we continue to 

develop more innovative offerings as 

part of the CORDURA ® brand 

portfolio, we’ll be able to satisfy more 

of the needs of this global market.” 

INVISTA’s CORDURA ® brand team 

will also be exhibiting at the up - 

coming Expoprotection show in Paris 

from 4th-7th November. They will 

present a range of new fabric 

offerings from stand C77 in Hall 5, 

and will also showcase the new 

CORDURA ® brand hangtags and 

sew-in labels, which will come into 

use towards the end of 2008. 

The new hangtags will feature the 

slogan ‘Durable. Versatile. Reliable’. 

This is an apt summary not only of 

CORDURA ® brand fabrics and what 

we can continue to expect from them, 

but also of the adventuring men and 

women who use them. 

CORDURA ® Brand Inquiries: 

Susannah Rayfield 

INVISTA Textiles (UK) 

Tel: +44 (0)1452 633126 

Email: workwear@INVISTA.com 

www.CORDURA.com 

Who better to honour these individuals than 

the fabric brand that is right there with them? 

Susannah Rayfield, 

European brand manager 

for the CORDURA ® brand 



.© 2008 INVISTA. CORDURA ® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF INVISTA FOR DURABLE FABRICS. 

www.director-e.com 3 


®

Directing the Industry 

If you work in the working 

garment industry, you will no 

doubt have come across 

director-e in some shape or 

form. Apart from the newsletter 

that you are reading now, the global 

media service’s websites and 

conferences may also be familiar to 

you. These facets of the company 

work together to inform and 

educate the industry on the latest 

news, trends, innovations and 

events - making director-e a 

suitable media partner for exhibition 

Expoprotection, which takes place 

in Paris in November. This year, 

director-e’s wish to bring 

manufacturers, suppliers, 

4 


distributors and buyers 

together under one roof 

also came to fruition. It 

partnered up with 

Ocean Events to launch 

the Workwear and 

Corporate Clothing 

Show at the 

Birmingham NEC in 

April and has plans to 

make next year’s even 

bigger and better. 

Web Service 

Whether you like your 

daily dose of industry 

news or prefer to get 

your teeth into an 

analytical feature, 


provides plenty of 

information on 

workwear, corporate 

clothing and PPE, while 

www.fabricdirector-e.com brings 

you the latest developments in the 

world of fabric. Members can read 

up to 100 news stories on the sites 

each week, with sourcing hotspots, 

sustainability and nanotechnology 

representing just a fraction of the 

topics that are investigated, 

alongside exhibition previews and 

conference reviews. 

A comprehensive, easy-to-search 

sourcing directory featuring 

thousands of contact details is also 

available, helping members to 

source fabrics, garments and 

equipment. And if you have difficulty 

choosing, simply click on the 


director-e has a number of tools at its disposal to keep you ahead of the 

latest news and developments in workwear, corporate clothing and PPE 

company profile section for more 

information on what each business 

can offer. Our websites currently 

have around 92,000 members 

worldwide - to join them log onto 

www.director-e.com now. 

Newsletter 

Register as a member on the 

website and you can subscribe to 

receive director-e’s bi-monthly 

newsletter for free! Delivered 

straight to your door, the newsletter 

is an extension of the website, 

containing even more features and 

company profiles to allow you to 

read the latest on workwear, 

corporate clothing, technical textiles 

and PPE wherever you are. 

Conferences 

director-e organises some of the 

most talked about conferences in 

the industry, having earned a 

reputation for presenting the topics 

that matter most. Visitors come 

from all over the world to hear 

director-e’s experienced speakers 

present on crucial issues such as 

controversial EU legislation, trading 

with China and the latest market 

trends. The next conference will 

take place at the Workwear and 

Corporate Clothing Show on 2nd 

April 2009. Find out more about 

this exciting event on page nine. 

Workwear and Corporate 

Clothing Show 

In 2006, director-e joined forces 

with Ocean Events to form 

Corporate Clothes Show LLP, and 

went on to become joint owners of 

the Workwear and Corporate 

Clothing Show. 

The inaugural show took place 

this April at the Birmingham 

NEC, and was voted an 

overwhelming success. 

“The Workwear & Corporate 

Clothing 

Show is the 

UK’s only 

exhibition 

specifically 

dedicated to 

this multimillion 

pound 

industry,” 

says joint managing director 

Lorne Cheetham. “It is an essential 

event for the entire buyer/seller 

spectrum from textile manufacturers 

to end-users, embracing all workrelated 

garments. 

“If you’re in the business of buying 

workwear, corporate clothing or 

PPE, this is your only chance to see 

so many suppliers, feel the quality 

of materials, network with all the 

professionals, discuss your 

requirements, negotiate the best 

deals and keep one step ahead of 

your competitors.” 

Next year’s show will return to the 

NEC on 1st and 2nd April, and will 

include an exhibition with over 100 

stands as well as the popular 

catwalk fashion show. The much 

anticipated Business Manager 

Awards, which recognise the 

buyers who play such a vital role 

in the industry, will also make 

its debut. Hosted by designer Jeff 

Banks and sponsored by 

CORDURA ® Fabric, the awards will 

take place at the prestigious Hilton 

Birmingham Metropole Hotel as 

part of a glitzy gala dinner. 

During the awards ceremony, 20 

specially handcrafted awards 

will be presented to the 

winners and runners-up of the 

workwear, corporate clothing and 

PPE categories. 

To find out more about the 


Clothing Show or to book 

your stand, contact show 

manager Emma Barrett 

by telephone on 

+44 (0)1425 470666 

or by email on 

emma@workwearshow.co.uk 

Check out our Brands 



www.workwearshow.co.uk

PROFILE 

Staying in Style 

As Allen & Douglas’s latest collection is rolled out, Catherine Christie tries it 

on for size and finds out how the company is raising the stakes in 

corporatewear style 

Allen & Douglas’s customers include 

celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, the 

Holiday Inn and JD Wetherspoon - and 

now the corporatewear supplier has 

added Thistle Hotels to the list. The 

UK-based hotel chain is undergoing a brand 

overhaul and chose Allen & Douglas to reinvent its 

uniform. On the eve of its roll-out, I went to meet 

head designer Claire Conley to find out how the 

company manages to strike a balance between 

corporate clothing and high street fashion. 

The challenge 

The brief was simple: UK hotel chain Thistle 

challenged Allen & Douglas and a number of other 

companies to design a full range of uniforms that 

would give a more contemporary and casual feel as 

part of a £100m, five-year plan. “They wanted to 

make their members of staff more approachable by 

lightening up the look and making everyone feel airy, 

comfortable and contemporary, rather than have 

them standing rigid in top hat and tails,” says Claire. 

So how did the company manage to come out 

on top? 

Doing your homework 

Research is a key area for Allen & Douglas and the 

company commits countless hours even before any 

designs are drawn up. As well as understanding the 

hotel’s brand, competition and customers, knowing 

about the demands of their wearers is vital - and 

can even involve the design team spending a day in 

the hotels and carrying out the different job 

functions of the wearers. “You may have a 

perception of what a housekeeper, receptionist or 

even a waiter does, but when you go out and do 

the job there will be little things they do that they 

shouldn’t really, like housekeepers will stand on the 

side of baths and really stretch and reach, which is 

important to factor in when designing the garment. 

“One of the things people didn’t like about their 

uniform when we asked them was that they had to 

wear certain items every day - there was no room 

for personal expression. So we thought, ‘Why not 

give people a couple of different options to start off 

with?’ The idea is that, if you wake up one day and 

feel quite relaxed, you might decide to wear a piece 

of knitwear with a dress, and the next day you 

might want to wear a suit. We are finding that more 

and more people want this wardrobe look rather 

than just a set uniform.” 

Allen & Douglas’s consideration of the wearer also 

extends to fit and pattern: “Our technical team is 

very hot on making sure that patterns look great on 

all sizes. As patterns increase with the size, they will 

amend their grading rules from size 16 upwards, 

which is quite unique to us. And if you are a bit 

bigger, generally speaking you normally want your 

garments a bit looser.” 

Following fashion 

Claire always tries to put herself in the position of 

those who she is designing for: “I wouldn’t want to 

wear something old fashioned and itchy, so why 

should they have anything less than what they’d 

pay for themselves?” This approach quickly 

becomes apparent as I rummage through some of 

Allen & Douglas’s latest collections at the company’s 

headquarters. Confronted with suave suits, evening 

The idea is to give people garments that they 

actually want to wear - after all I wouldn’t want 

to wear something old fashioned and itchy 

dresses, fitted shirt dresses and funky trousers and 

tops, you could easily feel like you were perusing the 

rails of a high street store. 

And that’s just it - Allen & Douglas’s corporatewear 

designs are not only wearable but also skilfully 

include fashion trends that still look good three years 

on, as well as being affordable and functional. 

Working with the procurement team to find 

designer copycats was one way Claire was able 

to bring some of the latest styles to Thistle’s new 

uniforms. “I found a Hugo Boss fabric that I 

liked and it was a case of getting different 

suppliers to find an alternative that kept the look but 

made it practical for corporatewear in terms of price 

and composition.” 

Details are another way in which trends can be 

brought to corporatewear and this was paramount 

to Thistle’s designs: “If you talk to someone serving 

you, you will look at their face and neck area, so we 

put some colour on the inside of their collar and 

neckband. When they actually give you the food, 

you look at the sleeves and the arms, so it’s getting 

the details and colour into the correct places and 

adding little flashes.” 

The result 

After all the rummaging, I tried on a sample of a shift 

dress designed for a manager. “We’ve adapted a 

classic version to suit the curved neckline, which 

features throughout the collection and put big bows 

around the middle, which is meant to be very soft 

and inviting.” It got the thumbs up from me: fitted 

but comfortable around the waist and hips, with 

Lycra in the fabric to give it some recovery and 

vents to make it practical to walk. Next, I tried a top 

and trousers uniform for the hotel housekeepers. 

The polycotton fabric with elastane made it 

breathable and easy to move around in - enhanced 

by back action pleats, side vents and wide leg 

trousers - but a mandarin collar meant that comfort 

didn’t come at the sacrifice of style. And that’s not 

all: “Normally we will build the range and have a 

couple of classic staple pieces, but we also put in a 

few ‘wow’ pieces that are trendier as well - whether 

they go through the whole three years or not.” 

Allen and Douglas’s design team is certainly in 

demand - other companies that they are currently 

redesigning uniforms for include Pizza Hut, 

Vodaphone and Hilton Garden Inn. That’s three big 

endorsements that shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

Head Designer: 

Claire Conley 

Contact: Julie Lindsay 

Director of Sales and Marketing 

Allen and Douglas Corporate Clothing Ltd 

Tel: +44 (0) 1295 272700 

Fax: +44 (0) 1295 270486 

Email: sales@aandd.co.uk 

www.aandd.co.uk 


Visit director-e at Expoprotection: Hall 5 stand A81

Anti-microbial finishes for hospital uniforms 

are not mandatory yet 

The Finishing Touch 

Continuing our spotlight on India series, Reena Mital reports on India’s 

developments in protective finishes for workwear and corporate clothing 

The Indian textile industry has only recently 

begun using protective finishes such as 

anti-microbial, bio-static and fire-retardant 

in corporatewear and workwear fabrics. 

Almost all leading corporatewear brands 

in India - Raymond, Reliance Industries, Reid & 

Taylor, Banswara Syntex, Siyaram Silk Mills, Donear 

Industries and Sutlej Industries have protective 

finishes in a proportion of their fabric. But these 

remain a niche product. 

“The specialty finished fabrics are an export-driven 

business in India,” says Mr KC Agarwal, executive 

director of Sutlej Industries. “Most manufacturers 

offer a limited collection in such finishes to the US 

and EU markets but the Indian 

market for such products is almost 

negligible.” Exports are also of 

recent origin. The industry’s efforts 

to move into value-added products, 

especially after the quota phaseout, 

led to the exploration of such 

technologies. And the industry has 

only, over the last couple of years, 

achieved the international quality 

standards needed for the export 

markets. But the volume of exports 

of such fabrics and garments is still 

very small. In the case of wool and 

polyester viscose blended suiting 

fabrics, of the total export of around US$ 300 million, 

not more than 2% would account for such finishes. 

Ram Bhatnagar, Raymond India Ltd’s vice president 

for the international market says: “We will introduce 

some anti-microbial, anti-static finished woolen 

worsted fabrics at the next Premiere Vision. This will 

help us gauge the response of international clients 

and give us a fair idea of the business potential of 

this new range. International markets will be the 

initial focus.” 

According to him, while protective finishes in the 

suiting fabric segment are still small, the cotton 

shirting’s segment is much bigger, but again, with a 

focus on the export markets. These finished fabrics 

enable exporters to realize premiums in the range of 

20%-50% over the commodity fabrics. 

6 


The potential of 

corporatewear 

fabrics treated 

with these 

chemicals is 

huge, but 

untapped 


Sportswear and gym wear offer huge 

potential for anti-microbial finishes 

Untapped potential in the domestic market 

The potential of corporatewear fabrics treated with 

these chemicals is huge, but untapped. A large 

proportion of the sales in the domestic market by 

most of these players are to the household sector, 

with a small portion going into institutional sales, 

where to an extent such finishes are used. However, 

India remains a price conscious market, and most 

consumers are unwilling to pay the high premiums 

that such fabrics and garments attract. “Lack of 

awareness about the proven benefits of the finishes 

is the main reason for poor acceptance of these 

finishes in the Indian market,” says Mr Agarwal. For 

instance, the traffic police in India could be one of the 

most important consumers of anti- 

microbial, moisture management 

finished fabrics in the country, but 

Indian fabric suppliers have been 

unable to break into this segment. 

According to Ms Mrinal Choudhary 

of Rossari Biotech, one of the 

leading manufacturers and 

suppliers of specialty chemicals in 

the country: “The Indian market for 

specialty finishes is growing steadily 

at a rate of around 8-10% per 

annum, but still remains very small. 

An obvious consumer would be 

hospital staff but a miniscule percentage of hospital 

uniforms are treated with anti-bacterial and other 

such finishes. School uniforms are another important 

segment where such finishes should have been 

popular, but penetration again is almost nil.” 

According to Ms Choudhary, some international 

sportswear brands in India have launched their 

collections, which again form a small part of their 

total garment collections in the country. Eve Fabrics, 

which has recently begun importing school uniform 

fabrics treated with anti-microbial, soil resistant, 

moisture resistant finishes, is working hard to break 

into the Indian market. According to Mr Aditya Modi, 

director of Eve Fabrics, “We have targeted some of 

the high end schools, which have larger budgets for 

such spends, but are facing a lot of sales resistance. 

There are concerns about costs, and the effects of 

such chemicals on the skin. Breaking the traditional 

mindsets and practices is not going to be easy.” 

Rossari is also planning to create awareness about 

the benefits of these finishes on school uniforms. 

“We are in the process of charting out a strategy 

to target schools, and educate them about these 

finishes, which are easy to maintain. 

The finishes last up to 40 washes, and can be 

reapplied at minimal cost.” The company, through 

its tie-up with Aegis, has also launched UV 

protective treatments for fabrics. Ms Choudhary 

says: “This, along with anti-microbial, soil release, 

moisture management finishes is apt for traffic 

police uniforms.” The obstacle most companies 

face in supplying to government agencies is the 

system of tenders with pricing as the deciding 

factor. This leaves very little scope to tender for 

fabric supplies with added features as this would 

invariably increase costs. This has prevented most 

fabric manufacturers and suppliers from focusing 

on the domestic market, as there are enough 

orders from the export markets, and realizations 

are good. For Rossari, nonwovens and technical 

textiles is an important and growing market for 

these finishes, especially in the Meditech segment. 

Encouraging industry growth 

While government agencies remain unaware of the 

latest developments in fabric finishes, textile 

organizations are doing their bit to spread 

awareness. The textile department of the Indian 

Institute of Technology, (IIT) in Delhi, recently made 

a presentation to the Board of Police Research & 

Development (BPRD) about the need for a more 

focused approach to police uniforms. These 

included conducting the necessary anthropometric 

studies for better fits, using various specialty 

finishes that impart the necessary protection and 

comfort to the personnel, using the right blends of 

fabrics. This is the first such proposal that the 

department has ever received. 

The Indian textile dyes and chemicals industry has 

been dominated by multinationals - Clariant, BASF, 

ColorChem, Dystar, to name a few, and has thus 

had access to the latest developments in textiles 

dyeing and finishing. The situation is no different in 

specialty chemicals. Clariant, through its tie-up 

with Schoeller Technologies Ag, has recently 

introduced the nanotechnology based 

NanoSphere textile finish in India. Clariant India has 

been the pioneer in bringing to the textile industry 

the latest in innovative finishes. 

Similarly, Resil Chemicals, in association with 

Thomson Research Associates, has introduced 

the Ultra-Fresh range of anti-microbials to the 

Indian textile industry. Other finishes offered by the 

company include water and oil repellent finishes, 

and a number of silicone finishes, and sensory 

perception technology for textiles. The company 

has collaborated with CTF2000 for fire-retardant 

finishes. BASF and other multinationals also have 

their own range of specialty chemicals for the 

Indian textile industry. 

The know-how, technologies and raw materials for 

protective finished fabrics are available to the 

Indian textile and garment industry. The market for 

such products will mature as India’s per capita 

income grows.

PROFILE 

Taking Control 

Technopoly’s supply chain management 

software is clinching business deals for 

corporate clothing and workwear companies 

Planning, implementing and controlling 

your supply chain are necessary for any 

business looking to maximise its 

performance and efficiency. Done 

manually, it’s time-consuming and 

prone to human error, but supply chain 

management software - or SCMS - is the antidote 

for the corporate clothing and workwear market. 

By freeing employees from endless paperwork 

through complete stock management and total 

control of garment sales and warehousing, it’s little 

surprise that more and more businesses are 

turning to SCMS manufacturers like Technopoly. 

Established in north-west England in 1994, 

Technopoly launched its garment sales and stock 

control software system - ApparelGMS - four 

years later. Since then, directors Graham and 

Kathleen Helliwell say that interest within the 

workwear and corporate clothing industry has 

grown and grown as companies realise its 

potential. “More demands are being placed on 

companies in these sectors for shorter garmentissue 

timescales,” says Kathleen. “But they’re now 

learning that ApparelGMS can take the strain out 

of providing quick and efficient orders. It frees up 

companies of all sizes to start chasing and winning 

new business rather than being bogged down 

with admin.” 

A winning combination 

Built from the ground up and based on the 

Microsoft SQL database engine, ApparelGMS is a 

fully-integrated, real-time stock system that gives 

the user complete 

control of all activities 

from initial enquiry 

through to garment 

dispatch and 

invoicing. It also links 

directly to Sage 

accounts and the 

Microsoft Office suite. 

Stock can be entered 

and searched for in 

groups of colours and 

sizes among multiple 

warehouse sites, while 

forecasting screens 

predict run-out. Sales 

orders can also be entered quickly from either 

list or matrix screens, matched to stock and 

then tracked - ensuring delivery deadlines are 

always met. 

Kathleen says: “It’s a bespoke yet simple-to-use 

service that’s created to meet customer needs 

while having the capability and flexibility to serve 

businesses as they expand. Additional modules 

like web ordering, finishing, manpack, concessions 

and retail POS have all been devised with this 

in mind.” 

Putting the customer first 

It’s not only the product that’s enabled 

ApparelGMS to expand businesses - Technopoly 

believes that customer service and price are just 

as important when it comes to SCMS. 

ApparelGMS support staff are on-hand to provide 

support or extra training on the phone or online 

24 hours a day, while any essential onsite visits 

will also be made at no extra cost - keeping 

pricing competitive. 

This sounds impressive, but Technopoly’s users 

are its best advocates. Corporatewear supplier 

FCC won a contract to provide a major bus 

company with uniforms for their 350 staff after 

ApparelGMS gave them online uniform ordering. 

You can head to www.apparelgms.com to read 

more and, as Kathleen says, find out “straight 

from the horse’s mouth’’ how ApparelGMS can 

benefit corporate and workwear companies. 

Contact: 

Technopoly Ltd 

Rolands House, 

87 Bacup Road 

Rawtenstall 

Lancashire, United Kingdom 

BB4 7NW 

Telephone: 01706 830930 

Fax: 01706 831090 

sales@apparelgms.com 

It frees up companies 

of all sizes to start 

chasing and winning 

new business rather 

than being bogged 

down with admin 



7

A Sustainable Future 

In theory, we would all 

like to do our bit for the 

environment. But the 

burning question is what 

will sustainability cost 

the corporatewear, 

workwear and 

PPE industry? 

When it comes to 

sustainability, the 

stakes have been 

raised. Pressure is 

building on 

businesses to show their 

environmental and ethical credentials. 

And the corporatewear, workwear 

and PPE industry is no exception, as 

the way garments are made and 

disposed of is becoming almost as 

important to consumers as quality, 

cost and service. 

Environmental responsibility is at the 

very heart of sustainability, but this 

can be a problem - particularly when 

it comes to corporatewear. In a 

sector where uniforms are typically 

changed every two to four years, 

garments are often sent to landfill 

even when their technical 

performance and appearance is still 

good enough for them to be reused. 

But by manufacturing brand new 

garments instead of recycling or 

reusing discarded ones, more of the 

earth’s non-renewable fossil fuels are 

used and greenhouse gas emissions 

such as carbon dioxide produced. 

So what should we do? The Centre 

for Remanufacturing and Reuse has 

the solution: it’s planning to reduce 

the industry’s sustainability impacts 

through the launch of a central 

resource that will educate businesses 

on becoming more sustainable 

through environmental and socially 

responsible actions - and all while 

remaining profitable. 

A source of information 

The Centre for Remanufacturing and 

Reuse (CRR) is a Defra BREWfunded 

organisation managed by 

consultancy Oakdene Hollins Ltd, 

which was set up three years ago to 

support and promote product 

remanufacturing and reuse in the UK. 

Following a Defra project led by 

Oakdene Hollins in 2006, which 

revealed that 1.2 million tonnes of 

general clothing ends up in landfill in 

the UK every year, the workwear, 

corporatewear and PPE industry 

seemed like a good place to 

start with increasing recycling and 

reuse rates. 

CRR is working with a range of 

consortium members from across 

the corporatewear supply chain and 

academia to undertake practical 

research into the five areas that can 

act as barriers to recycling and reuse: 

garment design and construction, 

fibre composition, end-of-life 

management and taxation. The 

information gathered will be made 

accessible through an online website 

that will launch in April 2009 at the 

Workwear and Corporate Clothing 

Show at the Birmingham NEC. 

“The website will summarise the 

findings of the project, feature cases 

of best practice, a searchable 

database of companies and raise 

awareness of the economic, social 

and environmental benefits of 

corporatewear reuse,” says CRR 

consultant Fiona Kelday. “At the end 

of the day, it has to make business 

sense - that’s a company’s major 

bottom line, as much as people say it 

It has to make business sense at the end of the day - 

that’s the major bottom line, as much as people say 

it is all about the environment 

8 



is all about the environment.” A guide 

will also be produced to inform 

buyers of what alternative fibres are 

most amenable for use in 

corporatewear garments, including 

information on their suitability for 

recycling and reuse; what to ask for 

from suppliers and how to encourage 

employees to give their old uniforms 

back for reuse. Fiona says: “Although 

we are trying to promote reuse and 

recycling, we do favour reuse 

because the carbon benefits are 

greater and you don’t have to put 

additional energy into recycling and 

shredding things up.” 

Industry Leaders 

Nationwide is already doing its bit. 

While the majority of its obsolete 

clothing is sent to developing 

countries or recycled for automotive 

sound proofing, this year the 

company has decided to donate 

around 200 garments to Dress for 

Success London. The charity helps 

disadvantaged women move into 

employment by providing an 

interview outfit and additional clothing 

once they secure a job - a prime 

example of the social benefits that 

sustainability can bring. 

But Fiona believes this form of reuse 

could prove an obstacle for some 

companies: “A logo is the visual 

identity of a company and so 

there are security issues surrounding 

the reuse of certain uniforms. 

Nationwide’s programme works 

because their uniform isn’t heavily 

logoed and is of a good quality.” 

LMB, which has been collecting, 

sorting and selling clothes, textiles 

and shoes to other countries since 

1985, has its own methods for 

overcoming such barriers - the LMB 

Secure Textile Reuse Service. 

Transparency is key and many major 

companies use this scheme, with 

airlines and banks among their 

customer base. To further reduce the 

possibility of someone obtaining a full 

uniform, LMB splits individual 

garments up from the uniform and 

mixes them in with different bales of 

normal clothing. “It’s not a charity - 

they don’t just take any clothing their 

customers want a choice,” Fiona 

says. “It’s a business - a trade - 

encouraging economic growth in 

these countries and LMB is a 

fantastic example of a family-run 

company that cares about 

supporting development both in the 

UK and overseas.

Meanwhile, corporate clothing 

company Dimensions, which clothes 

one and a half million wearers every 

year, joined up with clothing recyclers 

Sisters Textiles in March, to continue 

its 100% recycling and reuse policy. 

Returns are collected by Dimensions 

through the same carrier that delivers 

the customer’s garments. 

Up to 12 tonnes a month are sent to 

Sisters Textiles, which sell them to 

countries such as Africa and Poland 

for reuse. Garments that are heavily 

embroidered or unfit for reuse are 

sent to a carpet manufacturer to be 

recycled into carpet backing or 

underlay. “We have a lot of 

customers such as Royal Mail and 

the ambulance service who wear 

uniforms that are heavily 

embroidered,” says quality control 

manager Vicki Maxted. 

“But we do try and encourage them 

through our design department to 

reduce the amount of logos that they 

have, or to have a secondary pocket 

that can be cut away so that the 

garment can be reused afterwards.” 

Japanese innovation 

For other ideas on how the 

corporatewear industry can become 

more sustainable, it seems that we 

only have to look east for inspiration: 

for example, leading Japanese 

retailer Uniqlo takes back thousands 

of its own brand products from 

customers every year. The majority is 

sorted and sent for reuse in 

developing countries and the rest 

is either recycled as industrial 

rags and insulation or used to fuel 

factory furnaces. 

In addition, since Japanese 

corporate clothing manufacturer 

Kurabo started collecting and using 

discarded uniforms to generate 

Energy from Waste (EfW) for one of 

its finishing and dyeing plants in 

2002, almost 52 tonnes have been 

diverted from landfill. Not only has 

this reduced the company’s carbon 

footprint, but it has reduced their 

energy costs. But sustainable 

systems don’t have to be limited to 

the final part of the chain, according 

to Japanese company Teijin, one of 

the world’s largest recycled polyester 

producers. Clothing company 

Patagonia first pioneered the 

recycling of PET bottles to make its 

extreme weather fleeces in 1993, but 

Teijin believes that its closed-loop 

recycling, which it calls ECO 

CIRCLE TM , takes the concept to the 

next level. Where garments made 

from recycled polyester products 

often end up in landfill, ECO CIRCLE 

TM is an endless recycling cycle that 

produces no waste, reduces carbon 

dioxide emissions and saves energy. 

Clothing companies who sign up to 

ECO CIRCLE TM enter into an 

agreement to ship their old garments 

to Teijin Fiber’s recycling plant in 

Matsuyama Japan, where they are 

broken down and recycled into 

polyester yarn. The companies buy 

Teijin’s recycled fabrics to turn back 

into garments and these are returned 

and recycled back into polyester fibre 

at the end of their life cycle. 

“People expect a recycled product 

to be different in quality to a new 

product, but our patented chemical 

system breaks the polyester 

materials down to their molecular 

level to produce recycled polyester 

that is the same quality as 

polyester manufactured directly 

from petroleum,” says business 

development manager 

Miles Marchant. 

“Unlike the material process, which 

only involves the melting down of 

PET bottles, we can create variations 

such as split yarn, hollow yarn and 

segmented yarn - these can be used 

to make fabrics for use in sportswear, 

corporatewear and fashion.” 

Most people would probably 

question the notion that shipping 

discarded garments to Japan from 

around the world can actually save 

energy and reduce carbon dioxide 

emissions. But an independent 

We only have to look east for 

inspiration: companies there are 

leading the way in reuse and 

recycling technologies and 

initiatives 

report from Patagonia’s Common 

Threads Recycling Program has 

produced figures that state that 

shipping garments that have been 

collected in the US to Japan for 

recycling in the ECO CIRCLE TM 

system still results in 76% less 

energy usage and 71% less carbon 

dioxide emissions than producing 

polyester from virgin materials. 

This process may be suited to larger 

companies that have the resources 

to collect their used garments and 

ship them to Japan, but Fiona says 

smaller companies are often at an 

advantage when it comes to making 

their business more sustainable. 

“I think that sometimes if you are in a 

smaller company there aren’t as 

many barriers to go through and, if 

you have a leader who has a 

great vision that can go an awfully 

long way.” 

ECO CIRCLE TM is a trademark of 

TEIJIN FIBERS LIMITED 

Time To Change 

Fast Facts 

■ The UK’s workwear, 

corporatewear and PPE 

industry was valued at 

approximately £446m 

in 2007 

■ The reuse rate of the 

industry currently lies at 

less than 5% per year in 

the UK 

■ If the reuse rate of 

corporatewear, workwear 

and PPE is increased to 

10% by the end of 2009, it 

would result in around 

22,000 tonnes of CO2 

being saved - enough 

to fill Wembley Stadium 

10 times! 

■ Around 24 of the 57 

million metric tonnes of 

textiles produced around 

the world is polyester 

Sustainability is at the heart of the 2009 Workwear and 

Corporate Clothing Show conference. The event, which will take 

place at the Birmingham NEC on 2nd April, will bring together 

eight inspiring speakers to present on the three main areas of 

sustainability - environment, social and economy - in relation to 

the corporate clothing, workwear and PPE industry. 

The conference, which is sponsored by Syscom PLC, will give a 

general overview of how the industry can become more 

sustainable through environmental and socially responsible 

actions such as recycling, reuse, ethical sourcing and supply 

chain management. These areas will be communicated by 

buyers, suppliers and organizations that are making 

sustainability work for them while remaining profitable. 

Speakers include Campbell Bland, UK market manager at 

Lenzing Fibers; Hayley Brooks, sales and marketing director at 

Dimensions Corporatewear; Fiona Kelday from the Centre for 

Remanufacturing and Reuse; Michelle Barry, director of 

Laurence M. Barry & Co; and Steve Milner, managing director of 

EU business at Noble Biomaterials. 

For more information and to buy your ticket log onto 

www.workwearshow.co.uk/conference 



9

Protective Fabrics Gain Ground 

3M new reflective flexible tape 

Health and safety 

New developments in protective fabrics are at the heart of the 

latest autumn exhibitions. As a result of increased demands on 

employers to ensure the health and safety of their workers, 

protective elements are appearing in more areas of workwear, as 

well as high tech safety wear. Information is now available to 

buyers and employers from suppliers, manufacturers and major 

players in the workwear arena. Arco, the UK supplier of safety 

equipment and workwear, has developed its biggest ever range 

of own-brand and branded products. The company’s new ‘Big 

Book’ features 22,000 safety and workwear products, with over 

2,000 new products that include safety information important for 

small employers. 

It’s evident that new products 

are constantly being introduced 

to this highly regulated area. 

Sioen Industries has a wide 

range of protective products, 

including those that are chemical 

and FR resistant, as well as body 

armour and flotation systems. 

Meanwhile, innovation is particularly 

being developed in areas such as 

firefighting. An example is Outlast: 

“It is our target to be at each corner 

of our plant within five minutes”, 

says Jürgen Helt Technical Officer of 

BASF Fire Department in 

Ludwigshafen / Germany, the 

largest self-contained chemical 

complex and the headquarters of 

the BASF group. The right apparel 

and equipment is crucial to the 

operation, and this includes proper 

footwear. To gain time, the BASF 

firefighters spend the entire day in 

closed firefighter boots. To make 

this bearable, they have been 

equipped with boots made by 

Baltes, containing the temperature 

regulating phase change material 

(PCM) Outlast ® Adaptive Comfort ® . 

The boots are designed to be very 

comfortable and light. Mr Helt 

added: ‘It’s an essential 

10 


improvement due to the 

temperature-regulating Outlast ® 

lining. We wear the boots all day, 

and we no longer feel as if we’re 

standing in an oven!” 

3M has just introduced a new 

Scotchlite Reflective Material 

Comfort Trim Series, which can be 

used to make conventional clothing 

visible without having to add 

another reflective layer to an outfit. 

The trim is made out of very durable 

reflective material, which is flexible 

and lightweight. The heat-applied 

trim uses the renowned glass bead 

technology developed by 3M for 

Scotchlite reflective materials but 

this time the material is arranged in 

diagonally cut segments. This 

improves water vapour 

transmission, to keep the wearer 

drier and cooler. It is also more 

flexible, allowing for drape, so that 

garments are soft and fluid in 

design. Greater wash durability, 

meanwhile, ensures that it keeps its 

brightness longer. 

Enhancing wellbeing 

Protective fabrics can also ensure 


protection from discomfort such as 

cold, sweat or heat, which can affect 

the wellbeing of the workforce and 

affect productivity and morale. 

INVISTA recently launched LYCRA ® 

2.0 technology, which increases 

comfort through close-to-the-body 

stretch and recovery attributes; as 

well as the snug fit associated with 

minimal stitching. Trends in fashion for 

tight fitting, lightweight garments are 

paralleled in workwear, and INVISTA 

has launched several new branded 

textile initiatives: Xtra Life LYCRA ® 

fibre for chlorine-resistant and longerlasting 

swimwear, LYCRA ® Black 

fibre for non-fade dark or black 

intimate apparel and LYCRA ® Xtra 

Fine fibre collection. 

Swiss innovators Eschler have carried 

out research on reducing heat on 

dark coloured textiles. Deep dyed 

textiles treated with Thermoflect by 

Eschler prove that UV-rays are largely 

reflected to prevent heating up. 

DOW XLA fibre directly 

addresses problems of UV-light, 

chlorine and transpiration-related 

limitations of traditional stretch 

fibres and is appearing more and 

more in workwear to provide a 

robust, durable yet comfortable fabric 

for uniforms. 

As we reported in our last issue, there 

is a growing trend of producing 

organic or bio fabrics in workwear. 

By 2009, 20 percent of all Polartec ® 

products will be manufactured from 

recycled materials, without sacrificing 

fabric quality or performance. For 

example, next year, The North Face 

Denali, described as ‘the best-selling 

fleece jacket of all time’, will switch to 

a Polartec ® fabric that contains 87% 

recycled content. The new Denali will 

save approximately three litres of fuel 

and 14 kgs of CO 2 per jacket. 

Similarly, Lenzing Fibres introduced 

their new botanic principles in Tencel 

and Lenzing Modal for activewear 

and workwear at the Outdoor Retailer 

Show in the US, in August. 

Bacteria control is a hot issue. 

Klopman’s Sanitized ® antimicrobial 

finish is widely used in healthcare 

wear in Europe. Manutencoop 

management in Italy has chosen 

Klopman’s Charlotte quality as a 

comfortable lightweight 50% 

cotton, 50% polyester 

twill that 

is suitable for use 

where 

personnel are in close 

contact with the public 

White trousers and 

coloured tunics made in 

Klopman’s ‘Charlotte’ fabric 

with the unique antimicrobial 

Sanitized finish 

and working in warm conditions. 

Treated with the Sanitized 

antimicrobial finish, it is specifically 

designed to actively fight the 

proliferation of bacteria and fungi that 

are a significant cause of cross 

infection and odour. 

A large new hospital in Verona uses 

colour to distinguish different roles in 

the health service, and several 

thousand sets of white trousers and 

coloured tunics will be made in 

Klopman’s Charlotte fabric, which has 

been dermatologically tested as safe 

for sensitive skin. 

Janet Prescott, 

Fabric, Fashion and Trend Editor 

Baltes firefighter boots

It offers 

people a 

chance to 

stand out 

from the 

crowd - they 

are still 

smart and 

professional, 

but with 

more of a 

‘high street’ 

look 

A Smart Investment 

Special collections can really 

give corporatewear uniforms 

an edge, says Nationwide 

buyer Shelley Dodd 

Anticipation “ 

is rising,” 

Shelley Dodd says on the 

eve of her special 

collection roll-out for 

Nationwide building 

society - and there’s good reason, 

too. Nationwide brings out a special 

collection once every two years and, 

because it’s limited edition, staff must 

get in quick. But what exactly is so 

special about a special collection and 

what can it add to a corporate 

uniform? Shelley sums it up in two 

words: current trends. These 

garments promise to bring a slice of 

catwalk glamour to their local 

branches, so it’s not surprising that 

staff are already itching to get their 

hands on them. 

Promoting personality 

Nationwide rolls out its main 

corporate clothing collection every 

two years and there is a special 

limited edition collection for each new 

range. Their newest main collection 

was distributed to over 9,000 wearers 

in April and Shelley says it’s been very 

well received. “It offers more choice 

than ever before and has 

incorporated some fabulous new 

designs and a print pattern, which 

was voted for by the wearers,” she 

says. But despite the success of the 

main collection, Shelley believes that 

it is also worth giving wearers the 

option to purchase items from a 

special limited collection, which they 

can add to their existing wardrobe six 

months on. 

“In the special collection we try to 

offer our female staff a few garments 

that are more ‘high fashion’ than our 

normal collection and based on 

current trends, which we think 

they will love. They really offer 

people a chance to stand out 

from the crowd - they’re still smart 

and professional, but with more of a 

‘high street’ look.” 

Strengthening the brand 

Members of staff who enjoy wearing 

their uniform and feel confident and 

comfortable will reflect this in their 

work and the way that they deal with 

customers. This is why, although the 

limited edition collection is available 

for any Nationwide employee to 

purchase, it’s primarily aimed at those 

who work in branches in customerfacing 

roles. “Corporate clothing is a 

very important tool in reflecting our 

brand,” says Shelley. “First 

impressions count! We want our 

garments to look professional and 

modern, and reflect the forwardthinking 

Nationwide brand. But 

ensuring our employees feel 

comfortable in the clothing is 

essential and offering more choice 

means that we can provide 

something for everyone.” 

Carrying trends into 

corporatewear 

But bringing current trends to the 

corporate environment is easier said 

than done. Firstly, how do you 

reconcile the sometimes impractical 

styles of high fashion with the daily 

demands of a working environment 

and, secondly, how do you adapt 

those trends to meet your budget? 

Designing trend-setting tops to wear 

with more classic tailored garments 

such as trousers, skirts and jackets is 

one way in which Nationwide has 

tackled these issues. 

The limited edition collection consists 

of a three-quarter sleeved jersey tunic 

top, a short sleeved knitted top with 

belt, a short sleeved polyester blouse 

with mock cross over front detail, a 

three-quarter sleeved knitted cardigan 

with button detail and a short sleeved 

polycotton blouse. “The limited 

edition tops can be worn with any of 

the skirts and trousers available in the 

main collection and will give a fresh 

and modern look to wearer’s 

wardrobe. All the fabrics and 

colours we’ve used have been 

included in the main collection, so 

they will complement the existing 

garments perfectly!” 

And when it comes to Shelley’s 

personal favourites: “I love the tunic 

top in this collection. It’s a really 

fashionable garment, which will suit all 

shapes and sizes and the pleat detail 

across the front looks fabulous! The 

short sleeved knitted top with a belt is 

also a lovely top, which again looks 

really modern.” 

Making it sustainable 

These days, how a garment is made 

is becoming just as important in the 

fashion and corporate clothing 

industries as how it looks and 

performs. Shelley has taken important 

steps to make this consideration a 

priority in both her main and special 

collection. “Whenever we produce a 

new collection, we ensure that all the 

garments are ethically-sourced and, 

where possible, we incorporate 

sustainable materials. 

We have used corozo nut buttons in 

our current collection, which are a 

100% natural vegetable, and we have 

introduced an organic cotton shirt for 

the men. Our clothing managing 

agent, incorporatewear, also 

maintains a close relationship with the 

factories to ensure the manufacturing 

is completed to a high standard.” 

Nationwide employees with corporate 

clothing vouchers can order these 

limited edition garments from 6th 

October - it’s open to everyone else 

to purchase from 13th October. 

Shelley Dodd, buyer for 

Nationwide Building Society 



11

Working Out 

Plan your visit to Expoprotection by reading our preview 

of some of the workwear companies and products that 

you can expect to see this November 

Workwear is expected to make a 

triumphant return to 

Expoprotection, the biennial 

exhibition for risk management. 

Despite only premiering in 2006, 

the Workwear section already looks set to 

become as important to the exhibition as the 

more traditional sections of Security/Safety, Fire 

Fighting, and Health and Safety at Work. At the 

last show, over a third of the 24,500 unique 

visitors who attended the event declared that they 

were mainly interested in the Workwear and 

Occupational Risks sections. And this year, the 

number of workwear exhibitors has leapt from 95 

to 123 companies. 

Visitors to the event, which runs from 4th to 7th 

November, will witness two new sectors - Natural 

Risks and Industrial and Technological Risks - as 

well as an Ergonomic Village with products and 

services for the workplace. The tradeshow has 

also devised a varied program of events, including 

a risk management forum and more than 50 

conference and workshop sessions led by 

experts on comprehensive risk management and 

social and economic challenges. 

The piece de resistance, however, promises to be 

the Innovation Zone, situated at the heart of the 

exhibition area, and displaying over a hundred 

new products that visitors will be able to test out. 

These will include the entries for the Innovation 

Awards, which will also be awarded here on the 

first day of the show. 

To help you plan your visit to the exhibition, here is 

Klopman Vantage fabric featuring 

CORDURA ® Klopman Vantage fabric featuring 

CORDURA brand technology – 

combines comfort and durability for 

workwear garments 

® brand technology – 

combines comfort and durability for 

workwear garments 

12 



a taste of what some of the exhibitors have to 

offer in the Workwear section in Hall 5: 

Klopman International Stand C76 and 

INVISTA’s CORDURA ® brand Stand C77 

What better way to celebrate your 40th birthday 

and to demonstrate your ongoing commitment to 

the European textile sector than with a range of 

innovative new fabrics? That’s the thinking behind 

Klopman International’s presence at the show. 

They’ve teamed up with INVISTA to launch 

Klopman Vantage fabric featuring CORDURA ® 

brand technology. The fabric exploits the benefits 

of CORDURA ® fabric, which is well-known for its 

resistance to abrasions, tears and scuffs. 

It gives you a 50/50 intimate blend of INVISTA TM 

T420 nylon 6.6 and combed cotton in a twill 

construction weighing 250g/m2, and Klopman 

says: “The new fabric offers the optimum 

combination of exceptional abrasion 

resistance, comfort and style and is ideal for 

use in full garments such as trousers, jackets 

and coveralls.” 

Meanwhile, new additions to Klopman’s 

protectivewear range of fabrics include a 

heavyweight 470g/m2 100% cotton flame 

retardant fabric accredited to EN ISO 11611, 

ISO/DIS 11612 and IEC 61482-2 (Electric Arc) 

and an EN 471 accredited 275g/m2 60% cotton 

40% polyester high-visibility fabric, with luminosity 

characteristics and superior comfort. 

Two new fabrics in Klopman’s Bioguard range of 

antimicrobial fabrics will also be on display. 

Harnessing the antibacterial properties of silver 

technology, these fabrics - based on bestselling 

styles Bravo and Superbandmaster - offer 

antimicrobial protection and are specifically 

designed to meet the requirements of critical 

hygiene applications, such as in healthcare and 

the food industry. Klopman will also be 

introducing the first fabric in its range to be made 

with Fairtrade Certified Cotton. 

Lenzing Fibres Stand G77 

One half of Lenzing’s stand will focus on 

Lenzing FR ® - a high performance flame resistant 

fibre used in fabrics for protection against heat 

from liquid molten metal splash, electric arc, 

flash fire, flammable liquids, welding sparks and 

radiant heat. Protective clothing made of Lenzing 

FR ® is inherently flame resistant, and this results 

in permanent protection for the lifetime of 

the garment. 

Lenzing says that the fibre also offers comfort, 

flexibility, moisture management properties and 

unique body climate control: “The secret is in the 

New and improved Microchem ® 

4000 coverall from Microgard ® 

fibre itself. Lenzing FR ® does not store the heat - it 

feels immediately cool, even after severe flame 

and heat exposure.” At the exhibition, Lenzing will 

demonstrate the fibre’s versatility through a new 

clothing concept that combines Lenzing FR ® 

fibres with high visibility protection in high visibility 

yellow. The fibre can also be blended with other 

high performance fibres, such as Aramid fibres for 

fire fighting applications or wool for molten 

aluminium protection, resulting in a head to toe 

concept. The other half of the stand will focus on 

the company’s TENCEL ® lyocell fibre, which is 

derived from Eucalyptus wood grown in 

sustainable, managed forests. Although it’s been 

available on the high street for some time, it’s still 

relatively new to the workwear and corporate 

clothing sectors, and Lenzing is keen to promote 

its built-in moisture management, smooth surface 

and natural cooling properties in hospital gowns 

and corporate shirts. 

Microgard ® Stand B72 

Microgard ® , a manufacturer of chemical protective 

clothing, will be launching its new and improved 

Microchem ® 4000 coverall at the exhibition. The 

product, which will feature alongside their 

standard range at the show, offers the company’s 

highest level of chemical protection yet. 

“Microchem ® 4000 features a unique barrier 

fabric, which is renowned for being lightweight, 

yet robust,” business development manager Paul

Bryce says. “It offers an exceptional barrier 

against organic and inorganic chemicals, 

chemical warfare agents and biological agents.” 

The improved coverall, however, has a new barrier 

layer to increase chemical repellence and provide 

anti-static for critical areas. Ultrasonically welded 

seams and a new seam taping method also 

ensure liquid tight protection. It’s available in 

various design options, including attached socks 

and gloves and fully encapsulated suits. 

Paul says: “The aim of our presence at the 

exhibition is both to increase the brand awareness 

of Microgard in France and internationally, and to 

generate contacts with end users and distributors 

for whom our products could offer attractive 

new alternatives in short life workwear.” 

HPC Healthline Stand C67 

Sticking with short life solutions, HPC 

Healthline will present its range of PPE for 

protection against infections and epidemics. 

Among these will be its most recent addition, 

Biohazard Containment Kits, which 

gather together, and keep to hand, essential 

PPE products for rapid response to 

emergency situations. 

HPC Healthline says that they’re suitable 

for a variety of markets should an 

outbreak occur, including the emergency 

services, the police and 

the army, as well as for 

workplace and 

personal home use. 

The products in the kits 

include nitrile gloves, a 

category 3 coverall, 

FFP mask, overshoes, 

a yellow clinical waste 

sack, anti-viral wipes 

and protective goggles. 

Valerie Geraud from the 

company says: “HPC 

Healthline thrives in 

bringing in new 

products to answer 

market needs. Our aim 

is to offer protection 

from head to foot and a 

single source of supply 

to a variety of markets. 

We operate a European wide network of 

appointed distributors and are looking for new 

appointments in several countries.” 

The company’s full product range includes 

polythene bags, polythene aprons and 

disposable clothing as well as examination, 

industrial and surgical gloves under the well 

known brands Shield ® , Handsafe ® /Fine Touch ® , 

Aloecare ® and Trusty ® . 

Portwest Clothing Stand C65 

Expoprotection is of major importance to 

Portwest Clothing’s European customer base 

according to sales and marketing manager 

Richard Jones: “The French market has grown 

extensively for Portwest Clothing over the past 

five years. Expoprotection gives us a chance 

to showcase all of the new styles in our 

brochure, as well the chance to launch a 

French language catalogue.” 

The 2008/2009 brochure contains 76 new styles 

of workwear and brings together their entire range 

for the first time - including leading industry 

brands such as HiVisTex, Buildtex, Steelite, 

Bizweld and Sealte. “We understand the need of 

distributors,” Richard says. “Throughout our 

product range, we have improved the features 

and specifications on existing lines while also 

enhancing the ‘Specials Service’ we can offer.” 

Some of the new EN products that Portwest is 

hoping will do well in the French 

market is their Hi-Vis 7-in- 

1 Traffic Jacket, 

which the 

company says is 

adaptable for any 

situation that may 

arise. Certified to 

EN471 and EN343, 

the jacket’s multiple 

features include 

storage space, a 

concealed hood and 

fleece-lined collar. 

New to the market 

is Portwest’s Hi-Vis 

Action Trousers 

and the Hi-Vis 

Exhibitor's at the 2006 show attracted 

visitors from all over the industry 

Jacket with Reflexite Red Braces, which 

increase visual recognition for those working on 

public highways. Both products also meet with 

EN471 requirements. 

CAT Apparel/Bond Safety Stand D82 

Bond Safety - European distributors for CAT 

workwear, safety eyewear, gloves and toolbelt 

accessories - will be launching a new Advanced 

Technology range of performance workwear at 

the show. Managing director Paul Bond, who 

describes Expoprotection as ‘the launch pad for 

all of Europe’, says: “All of the 

Advanced Technology 

garments feature the 

3XDRY moisture 

management system, 

which keeps you 

cool and dry 

all day long.” 

Hi-vis 7-in-1 

traffic 

jacket from 

Portwest 

Clothing 


Visit director-e at Expoprotection: Hall 5 stand A81

Procuring a uniform can be as much 

of a minefield for the experienced 

buyer as for the uninitiated. David 

Crawford knows this all too well 

having spent the past nine years 

as the uniform procurement manager for 

British Airways. 

Now, he has decided to put his knowledge to 

good use as a uniform consultant and by 

setting up a complete uniform solution with a 

consortium of suppliers who he believes are the 

crème de la crème when it comes to delivering 

quality and value. 

In today’s market, the challenges facing buyer 

and supplier are numerous. The uncertainty of 

foreign currency exchange rates, rising fuel and 

power costs - as well as higher price 

expectations from producers in both Eastern 

Europe and the Far East as living standards 

improve there - are all real problems according 

to David. But it’s not all doom and gloom: “By 

dealing directly with suppliers, there is an 

Dealing directly with 

suppliers can help to 

mitigate some of the 

biggest challenges 

facing buyers in today’s 

current market 

14 



opportunity for uniform buyers to mitigate these 

risks and, at the same time, improve the quality 

and style of their uniforms,” he says. 

And this is exactly what his new business, 

‘Uniform Consulting’, intends to do by offering 

advice to buyers and putting them in touch 

with what he calls “a superb network of 

garment and accessory suppliers”, which he 

has developed and worked with over the 

years. “The consortium of suppliers can provide 

the best quality and value combination possible 

to companies who want to improve their image 

while constraining costs,” he says. “This is 

possible because the consortium of suppliers 

do not have the massive overheads that 

traditional corporatewear managing agents 

have to cover in their prices to the end 

customer.” There is also no charge to the 

end customer for Uniform Consulting’s 

services as these costs are covered by the 

consortium companies. 

David is already a noted figure within the 

garment industry, having worked within it for 

more than 30 years. Apart from enabling him to 

build up relations with good suppliers by 

dealing directly with manufacturing sources, his 

position at British Airways also gave him 

experience in formal strategic sourcing and 

contracting. But it is this experience as a highprofile 

buyer coupled with his background as a 

supplier that gives him a unique perspective 

and breadth of experience. 

Before working for British Airways, David 

worked for 19 years with Jaeger Tailoring, 

where he was responsible for the production 

planning of five Jaeger factories and 15 

supporting factories. It was here that he saw an 

opportunity to diversify into the manufacturing 

of corporatewear in order to smooth the peaks 

PROFILE 

A Helping Hand 

The launch of a complete uniform solution aims to reduce the 

problems and pitfalls of buying corporatewear, workwear and PPE 

and troughs of retail requirements. This led to 

the development of Jaeger Careerwear, which 

provided high-quality uniforms to airlines and 

high-street retail customers. 

From a modest start in 1991, he doubled 

turnover to £2m in one year, and steadily built 

up the business to a turnover of £7.5m in 1995. 

He then moved on to a new challenge as 

director of operations at Botany Weaving in 

Dublin - a supplier of high-quality fabrics for 

airline seating and home furnishings, as well as 

uniform fabrics and specialist jacquard designs. 

This experience of garment and fabric 

manufacture and sourcing was put to good use 

in his role at British Airways, where he was able 

to cut the annual cost of uniforms by 65% 

while still maintaining the high-quality standards 

and professional image demanded by the 

airline company. 

Now, David is using his extensive experience of 

corporate image development to help 

companies to cost effectively improve their 

uniform image and to provide an efficient, 

problem free service to uniform buyers. 

And it appears that the venture has tapped into 

a need - one major airline is already being 

supplied through the complete uniform solution 

that the consortium provides, and they are in 

development with two others as well as a major 

logistics tender. 

To contact David Crawford: 

Telephone: 

01444 242802 or 0752 888 7662 

Email: 

davidcrawford@uniformconsulting.co.uk

■ Arco experience brings safety 

to life 

Over 600 businesses attended the ‘Arco 

Experience’ in Doncaster on 3rd and 4th 

September, which brought together ideas 

and product innovations from over 40 of 

the world’s top brands in safety equipment 

and workwear. 

Arco - a leading UK supplier of workwear 

and PPE - staged the event to give the 500 

plus visitors a day, access to world-class 

safety experts and the huge variety of 

products featured in their catalogue 

Selected 

Regatta 

footwear for 

2009 is 

treated with 

a P2i nano 

coating 

Diary Dates 

■ TUC argues for ‘healthy and 

safe’ footwear 

Bosses who force employees to wear high 

heels as part of their work dress should 

reconsider their policy, the TUC union body 

has said. The TUC’s report, ‘Working Feet 

and Footwear’, said that slip-on shoes 

and high heels can lead to long-term 

foot problems. 

It also looked at issues such as firms 

providing slip-resistant shoes when needed. 

■ Regatta signs up with ion-mask 

plasma technology 

Leading European outdoor family brand 

Regatta has become the latest sign-up 

for revolutionary ion-mask enhancement 

from P2i. 

October/November 2008 

The ion-mask process, which 

offers levels of breathability 

and performance 

protection never 

before seen on 

the high street, 

will feature in 

selected 

products in 

Regatta’s 

spring/summer 

09 footwear ranges. 

Make sure that you scribble these dates in your diary! 

8-9 October: Health and Safety 08, Reebok Stadium, 

Bolton, United Kingdom. 

www.healthandsafetyevents.co.uk 

8-10 October: Interstoff Asia Essential Autumn 2008, 

Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention 

& Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong. 

www.interstoff.messefrankfurt.com 

20-23 October: Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, 

Shanghai New International Expo Centre, 

Shanghai, China. 

www.interstoff.messefrankfurt.com 

21-22 October: Firex North 2008, Harrogate International 

Centre, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. 

www.fire-expo.co.uk 

News in Brief 

■ Stand bookings increase for the 


Clothing Show 

Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show 

organiser Corporate Clothes Show LLP has 

revealed that there’s been a significant 

increase in the number of exhibitors signing 

up to the event, which takes place next April 

at the Birmingham NEC. Compared to this 

time last year, stand bookings are up by over 

60 percent and 80 percent more net space 

has been sold. 

■ Johnson expects improved 

performance 

Johnson Service Group has announced 

that profits at its dry cleaning business 

were reduced by 28 percent after the UKwide 

pub smoking ban impacted on 

sales volumes. 

The group, which operates more than 500 

stores under the Johnson Cleaners and 

Jeeves of Belgravia brands, described 

trading as difficult but said it expected an 

improvement in the division’s performance in 

the current half year. 

Read the full stories behind the 

headlines at www.director-e.com 

30-31 October: ‘Changing Consumer Needs and the 

Future of the Fashion Business’ The 

24th IAF World Apparel Convention, 

Maastricht, The Netherlands. 

www.iafnet.com 

4-7 November: Expoprotection, Paris-Nord Villepinte, 

Hall 5, Paris. 

www.expoprotection.com 

NEXT YEAR: Don’t miss the 

Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show 

1-2 April 2009; Birmingham NEC 


Book your stand now Tel: +44 (0)1425 470666 or 

Email: Emma@workwearshow.co.uk 



15

THE 

Business 

16 

MANAGER 

AWARDS 2009 

CORDURA ® is a 

registered trademark 

of INVISTA for 

durable fabrics. 

© INVISTA 2008. 


Wednesday 1st April 2009 

6-30pm 'til late 

Hilton Birmingham 

Metropole Hotel 

The NEC 

■ Be a part of the industry’s No.1 

awards event for 2009 

■ Hosted by Jeff Banks, as part of 

a champagne reception, dinner 

and dance 

■ To book your place please 

Contact Hannah Johnson 

T: +44 (0) 870 870 4578 

or email: 

Hannah@director-e.com 

Cost:£65.00 each plus VAT 

www.workwearshow.co.uk/bma 

Cordura ® 

Proud sponsors of the 

Workwear and Corporate Clothing 

Show Business Manager Awards 2009 


PRESENTS 

■ To book your conference tickets 

please contact Hannah Johnson 

on T: +44 (0) 870 870 4578 

or email: 

hannah@director-e.com 

Cost: £149.95 plus VAT per 

delegate 

www.workwearshow.co.uk / 

conference 

■ To book a Exhibition stand 

contact Emma Barrett 

T: +44 (0)1425 470666 

or email: 

emma@workwearshow.co.uk 


Syscom PLC: 

Proud sponsors of the 


Clothing Show Conference 2009 

Complete your Experience 

Organised by Corporate Clothes Show LLP 

Industry Conference 2009 

Sustainability 

Across the workwear and 

corporate clothing supply chain: 

Manufacturing and procurement 

through to end-of-life 

For Manufacturers, Suppliers, 

Specifiers, Buyers in Workwear, 

Corporate Clothing and PPE 

Thursday 2nd April 2009 

9.00am - 1-30pm 

The NEC, Birmingham

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