Magazine

Issue 2 - Autumn/Winter 2018

The Trend Guide

Volume 3

PPE: All You

Need To Know

Dimensions

Celebrates

30 Years

1 dimensions.co.uk Autumn/Winter 2018

Contents

Contributor:

Roger Martin-Fagg

14

Personal protective

equipment: The

low-down 22

29

Dimensions

celebrates

30 years

50

4

Turning the tide

on pollution

6

Understanding

commodity

prices

8

Lean six sigma

11

The future of

ethical trading

12

Happy feet

17

Do you know

your care

labels...?

20

The birth of a

uniform

25

Understanding

changes in PPE

legislation

26

Health enables

returns; changing

lives through the

HERproject

28

Equality in the

supply chain

47

Rich Conti named

“Product Manager

of the year”!

48

How the past

30 years are

shaping today’s

wardrobes

54

Commemorative

charity challenge


Welcometo Autumn/Winter

edition

I’m delighted to welcome you to the second edition of the Dimensions magazine.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their thoughts on our launch edition; I’m

thrilled that it was so well received.

From your comments, we have included articles in this edition that you suggested

you’d like to see, including an in-depth overview of the changes in PPE legislation

which you will find on page 22.

Lots of you were interested in the thoughts from behavioural economist Roger

Martin-Fagg so we have invited him back to provide you with an update

on the Economic Outlook (page 14).

Our design team have also been travelling throughout Europe to bring

you the latest Trend Guide (page 29) which showcases the up and

coming trends in the fashion world.

We hope you enjoy this issue as much as the last. We’d love to hear your

feedback and any suggestions you’d like to see in the next issue – contact details are

at the bottom of this page!

Hayley Brooks

Managing Director

Dimensions (MWUK Ltd) @dimensions_mwuk dimensions_mwuk

web: www.dimensions.co.uk tel: +44 (0)1332 856 800 email: hello@dimensions.co.uk

Autumn/Winter 2018 dimensions.co.uk 3

TURNING THE TIDE

ON POLLUTION

Other

types

of pollution that

pose threats

to the health

of marine

creatures include

pharmaceuticals in sewage and

agricultural runoff, radioactive

waste, noise and light

Across the

globe, we

produce

more than

300 million

tonnes of plastic

per annum

Textile waste

is the second

biggest

polluter after

oil and coal


It is said that there are 500 times more

pieces of microplastic in the sea than there

are stars in our galaxy and by 2050 it is

estimated there will be more plastic than

fish in our oceans.

Thanks to David Attenborough who

exposed the harsh reality of the changing

seas and how it is affecting the natural

habitat of the ocean’s inhabitants in the

TV programme Blue Planet, we are now

more aware than ever of the issues that are

negatively affecting our planet.

Closer to home however, was the recent

programme of ‘Fashion’s Dirty Secrets’

with Stacey Dooley, highlighting some

very disturbing issues relating to textile

production specifically.

So, whilst consumers are waging the war

on plastic by reducing single-use items,

avoiding plastic packaging and increasing

recycling activity, the real question is “What

can businesses do to turn the tide on

pollution?”

As a positive, pro-active and forward

thinking company, Dimensions is fully

aware of the importance of environmental

considerations when making garments and

understands that it is absolutely critical to

limit the direct impact of our business.

We have already made great strides in

improving the working environments

of the workers within our factories

which you can read about on page 26,

and we are committed to continue

with this work by reaching out to more

people in the future. However, as we

move forward, we also recognise the

impact that we are having on the world

around us and understand what we need

to do to minimise the affects that garment

production has on the environment.

Larger, well-known brands, many of whom

are our customers, have also adopted this

approach and are taking steps to tackle this

world-wide issue by asking their suppliers to

follow suit in order for them to achieve their

social responsibility goals.

Therefore, as both a supplier and a

brand, it is important for us to take

a look at our own processes to see

what improvements can be made; not

only to protect and promote our own

brand, but to support our customers

to reach their sustainability goals. And,

because it is the right thing to do for

future generations and the longevity of

the planet.

In order to assess our processes, we

must consider several factors that make

up our supply chain that could be having

an adverse effect on our environment:

1. Discharge of hazardous chemicals and

waste water from the factories and mill

2. Transportation methods

3. Packaging (from production to delivery)

4. Lifecycle of the garment

We are and will, continue to put a lot

of emphasis on the chemicals used in

manufacturing our fabrics to drive for

cleaner materials that are monitored,

although clearly the answer is to have

zero discharge of hazardous chemicals

(ZDHC); this is the ultimate goal that we

will strive to meet.

In 2017, we implemented a

packaging initiative that has

reduced our packaging by

40%; saving the equivalent

of 480,000 plastic bottles.

In addition, we have introduced a

number of initiatives that will help us to

reduce our impact on the environment

and we hope to share further results in

our Spring/Summer 2019 magazine.

Unfortunately, there is not one solution

to the challenges that we face, the

only way to be successful is to share

collaborative research and force change

through various government lobbying.

In the Stacey Dooley documentary, she showed

harmful effluent being put directly into the rivers

in Indonesia; this has a direct impact on the

environment and the people who live near and

use those rivers.

Devex, the media platform for the global

development community, states that “Textile

mills are […] a huge contributor, about one-fifth,

to the world’s industrial water pollution, using

thousands of toxic chemicals during production,

some of which are found to be carcinogenic.”

Indeed, it is a fact that this is an illegal practice

and there are Country Laws to stop this from

happening, however, there are several reasons

that these are not always enforced at a local

and international level. As such, Governments

must outlaw this practice and close down the

businesses that do this. Also, clothing suppliers

must drill back into their supply chain to get

full transparency to stop this happening. There

is no alternative to stop this illegal dumping of

chemicals.

The good news though is that many countries

are already beginning to take action on their

environmental issues; according to the Sourcing

Journal “China has been cracking down on

pollution in an effort to improve the country’s

poor air quality, and […] crackdown has led to

more than 80,000 factories being shut down at

one point or another.”

So, as governments, NGOs and business unite

to take a stand, improvements and change

can be seen, however, the quest for a more

sustainable textile industry is a long journey; one

that Dimensions is committed to and proud to

be on.

But, one thing is clear. We cannot afford to wait.

We have to instigate policies and procedures

now in order to effect the change in our supply

chain and we believe, that our initiatives,

however small, will make a difference to the

future of our planet.

References:

How plastic is damaging planet Earth; The Independent

Foresight Future of the Sea Report; Government Office for Science

Mapping the environmental impacts of China’s textile industry; Devex

China Shutters 80,000 Factories in Pollution Crackdown; Sourcing Journal




To remain competitive in an increasingly competitive

world, businesses must boost operational efficiency

wherever possible. However, process improvement

can be challenging and to achieve significant and

sustainable change, it is imperative that the greatest

asset of any business – its people – have the right

skills and attitude to implement such change.

MWUK’s Logistic Centre, based in the East Midlands,

dispatches up to 20 million garments per year for the group’s

three corporate apparel brands; Dimensions, Alexandra and

Yaffy. Covering 630,000 sq ft, the centre is located in an

area of growth where over the next 3 to 4 years, there will

be 6000 employment opportunities within the East Midlands

‘logistics epicentre’.

In addition, much of the labour within our Logistics Centre

(LC) is from Eastern Europe and having been in the UK for

up to 15 years, and perhaps due to the uncertainty of Brexit,

some of the workforce are now beginning to return home to

mainland Europe or are moving on to higher skilled roles.

So, when faced with the increasing challenge of retaining

labour and future proofing the LC’s operation, MWUK’s

Steve Cassapi FCILT, knew that he needed to look

at improving processes and had the options of either

introducing automation or improve performance of the

existing workforce by removing identifiable waste within

processes.

Whilst automation is appropriate for certain industries, the

complexity of providing a bespoke service to individual

wearers, along with lease restrictions and the intricacy of the

layout of the buildings, meant that automation could be a

part solution, but not a full resolution as the level of service

required needs human intervention.

An alternative solution therefore was to look at the existing

workforce and get a productivity gain within the existing

environment, by getting those ‘who do it every day’ to

identify what could be improved and implement the changes

accordingly. Having seen Lean Six Sigma in operation at a

printing business, Cassapi knew that the methodology could

work in the Logistics Centre and as part of the leadership

team, he could drive the initiative and champion the change.

Lean Six Sigma not only reduces process defects and waste,

but also provides a framework for overall organisational

culture change. Based on the Japanese martial art belt grades,

Lean Six Sigma uses coloured belt ranking terminology to

define the level and function of Six Sigma practitioners.

BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

THE LEAN SIX SIGMA WAY

White Belt

Yellow Belt

Understands the structure

and goals of Lean Six Sigma

Uses basic Lean Six Sigma

vocabulary terms

Reports process issues to

Green and Black Belts

Understands basic Lean

Six Sigma concepts

Reports process issues to

Green Belts and Black Belts

Participates on project teams

and receives just-it-time training


Of companies that introduce Lean Six Sigma, a high

percentage are unsuccessful as they fail to create a culture

that allows every person within the organisation to have a

voice, or more importantly they fail because they don’t allow

these people to be heard.

Cassapi was determined that this wouldn’t be the case for

MWUK, and as Lean Six Sigma champion, he brought in

consultant and trainer, Master Black Belt Dave Hunt, to

educate people in new ways of understanding processes and

solving problems.

At the beginning of the journey in January 2018, 14

candidates were identified and embarked on an intensive 10

day green belt course. Having qualified, the green belts went

into action, but it quickly became apparent that whilst they

had passed the course, they didn’t realise the key principles

and found it difficult to be analytical yet interpersonal at the

same time. By using terminology such as kaizen (change for

good); gemba (place of action / energy) and kanban (control

boards / signals), without complete understanding, was

alienating the majority of the workforce and was having an

adverse effect.

As such, Cassapi introduced active coaching sessions by

the Master Black Belt to reiterate the cause and effect

methodology. By adopting gemba walks, operator

workshops and prioritising efforts, within 2 weeks over 100

opportunities for improvement were identified.

By creating a structure, which included an in-house

continuous improvement team, and delivering the first of

four kaizen events (project that can be achieved within 5

days) year one costs of the three-year programme were

repaid within two months. By end September 2018, the year

one training cost was already repaid tenfold.

To keep the momentum of the programme, a further

12 candidates were selected to be trained to yellow belt

standard; all of whom have now been deployed onto

projects. In addition, to ensure that everyone understands

the structure & goals of Lean Six Sigma and in order that the

culture can be truly embedded into the organisation, it was

decided that everybody would be given the opportunity to

achieve their white belt.

Within days of the white belt training, the terminology was

adopted and process issues were being reported to yellow

and green belts, with some team members asking for

additional training so that they could achieve the advanced

black belt status. 400 opportunities for improvement have

been identified and each one has been prioritised by project,

irrespective of who suggested them.

Green Belt

Black Belt

Starts and manages Lean Six

Sigma projects

Has Lean Six Sigma expertise

but in less detail than Black

Belts

Provides just-in-time training

to others

Can report to a

Master Black Belt

Has advanced Lean Six

Sigma expertise

Functions as a coach,

mentor, teacher, and project

leader for project teams


When asked about the Lean Six Sigma programme, Cassapi

said: “I am delighted that I have been able to create an

environment that allows people to express themselves and

try change. We have no hierarchy at the LC, it’s a very open

culture. I strongly believe that we should allow everyone

to have a go at something regardless of job title or “rank.”

Everyone should have an equal voice and be inspired to

put forward ways to do things more ethically or more

productively.

Lean Six Sigma is perfect for those who work hard, but don’t

necessarily get promoted through the business as positions

may not be available. With Lean Six Sigma, any white belt

who works hard and adopts a self-learning approach can

achieve black belt status.”

With an ambitious three year plan which will culminate in a

complete organisational culture change, Cassapi is positive

about the future: “With the increasing challenge of retaining

labour and future proofing the LC’s operation, it was

important that I looked at what would make a great place to

work an even greater place to work.

However, I believe that as long as the basics such as reward

and recognition are competitive, then the added extras

that Lean Six Sigma gives us, such as an environment that

encourages fun & active participation and the opportunities

to engage in projects through workshops or kaizen events,

will make us the employer of choice within the ‘logistics

epicentre’ and give us the competitive advantage.”

When asked “What’s next?” Cassapi said “The evolution

of Lean Six Sigma never stops. We need to build on the

solid foundations we have created. So, the next year will be

focussed on building capability within the LC and ensuring

everyone has a voice and the opportunity to make this facility

the best it can be. Persistence, patience and practice are

required to truly change the culture of a business.”

So, how could your company benefit from using Lean

Six Sigma? ... Your company could be an organisation

that can implement change, develop and grow to remain

competitive in an increasingly competitive world.

Yes there is a risk that you create great people who may

wish to move on, and retention is the key to our success.

Master Black Belt

Champion

Works with leaders to identify

gaps and select projects

Coaches, mentors, teaches,

monitors and leads projects

Responsible for Lean Six Sigma

implementation and culture

change

Executive leader who

drives the initiative

Helps select projects

and remove barriers

for project teams

Supports change and develops

a Lean Six Sigma culture


THE FUTURE

OF ETHICAL

TRADING

Compliance and ethical trading has

come a long way since its origins in the

1940’s, and when looking at the most

heavily scrutinised industries, textiles

and manufacturing definitely ranks

highly. Consumers are becoming more

aware of the origins of their products

and demand, quite rightly, ethically

sourced and produced items.

We sat down with Georgina Howard

and Derek Boyden, Ethical Compliance

Officer and Director of Compliance

respectively, to ask them what they

think is the future of ethical trading and

how this affects the manufacturer, the

client and the wearer.

Georgina begins to explain how

the role of transparency is affecting

compliance already; “We are finding

that some customers are wanting

more transparency further down

their supply chain, not just where

their garments are sewn and in much

more detail. Some customers like to

know where the fabric was made,

where the cotton was picked and

even who the farmer was that picked

it.”

“The current compliance challenges

aren’t new to us, through our Ethical

Trading Initiative membership we

have been aware of them for a while

and we are constantly working on

transparency in our supply chain.

There will always be pressure for a

transparent solution, and the industry

is in the early stages of working

towards this. I definitely think in the

future consumers will be able to

digitally track their garments’ origins

right down to the names and a bio of

the workers who have produced the

clothing.”

Currently, the supply base must be

declared to our customers, but there’s

no obligation to declare this to the

wearer. Dimensions do have some

clients that ask for more in depth details

on their garments, for example, which

orders were placed in which factory

and where the individual components

of their uniform have come from.

Derek continues; “People need

assurances that there is no exploited

labour in their supply chains. In the

future there needs to be complete

transparency from seed cotton to

the end consumer. At the moment,

we can tell our clients where their

fabric and branded components are

from, we are completely transparent

with our customer and over the next

5 years we will be drilling deeper

through the supply chain to map

every element.”

Gender equality is gaining more traction

in the West, and as such it filters

through to the textiles industry. Clients

need assurance that the factories do

not discriminate against gender, religion,

race or caste, usually in line with their

own stance. However, the cultural

differences between the West and

the East means this is difficult to put a

date on the blanket implementation of

this. Companies need the buy in from

the local governments and individual

organisations before this issue can be

addressed, but both Georgina and

Derek believe the pressure will be on

governments to publish their gender

equality issues such as gender pay gap

and address any issues that are raised.

Derek explains that although

ethical trading is on the forefront

of consumers’ minds, the issue of

environmental damage is hot on its

heels (read the article Turning the tide

on pollution on page 4). “The making

of garments unfortunately does

harm the environment. Millennials

are more aware of the impact on

the environment, and as such are

demanding of businesses to do

more to counteract the damage.

Dimensions are already working on

a goal of zero discharge from our

suppliers, dyers and finishers within

10 years’’.

Georgina continues; “Before, you

were allowed certain pollutants

by law, but clients and businesses

are expecting more with their

independent initiatives and we

manage those expectations

accordingly. Again, the political

climate affects initiatives on climate

change, but it’s something that is

always high on our agenda, whether

at home or overseas. In the future

there will be more pressure to find

alternatives for the legal pollutants

and manufacturers will be expected

to have zero discharge from their

factories.”


HAPPY FEET


No we are not talking about an animated, dancing penguin!

We are looking at how you can keep your feet happy at work

as it is estimated that around 80% of the adult population has

some form of foot problem¹ and whilst not all of these are as

a result of work activities, it is reported that a large proportion

are.

100 moveable parts

“THE HUMAN FOOT

IS A MASTERPIECE

OF ENGINEERING

AND A WORK OF

ART”

20 muscles

26 bones

Leonardo da Vinci quoted “the human foot is a masterpiece

of engineering and a work of art” and with each foot having

100 moveable parts, including 26 bones and 20 muscles, that

make up around a quarter of all the bones in your body, this

statement is indeed true, yet we take our feet for granted

much of the time.

THE AVERAGE

PERSON WILL

WALK APPROX.

150,000 MILES IN

THEIR LIFETIME

You may be surprised to learn that the average person will walk

approx. 150,000 miles in their lifetime which is more than four

times around the earth and for every mile you walk, you shift

the equivalent weight of a blue whale just by moving your own

body forward², so it is little wonder that the majority of adults

have a foot problem; the five most common being heel pain,

athlete’s foot, bunions, corns and calluses, ingrowing toenails.

So, what can be done to keep your feet happy in

the workplace?

Many problems are caused by inadequate footwear, therefore

it is imperative that workers should be able to wear the

footwear that is appropriate to their occupation, working

environment, and feet.

If safety shoes are appropriate for the occupation, then they

should be comfortable and correctly fitted. Despite the

misconception that safety shoes, particularly with protective

toecaps, are uncomfortable, if shoes are padded and fitted

correctly, toecaps should not be felt at all.

It is reported that many minor foot ailments can be relieved

with properly fitted and carefully selected shoes, so anyone

can have happy feet in the workplace!

Further information

For further information on foot health, go to: www.feetforlife.org

or give us a call today 01332 697045

¹Working feet and footwear – health and safety at work guidance TUC

² The College of Podiatry


ECOMONY

UPDATE

Roger Martin-Fagg BA HONS

In my last piece, I suggested that the second half of this year should show some improvement

and I can report that there is some good news and some bad.

The good news is that real wages are growing as forecast. The bad news is that the real price

of fuel (gas and electricity will follow) is at record levels. Therefore, the net effect is that there

is a bit more in the consumers pocket before they fill their car, but their discretionary income

is basically unchanged afterwards.

Looking ahead as the Trump sanctions on Iran bite we should expect further increases in the

price of oil but I doubt if wages will rise further to compensate.

If the price of oil stays above $80 and sterling remains at $1.30 or less for the next six months,

then there could be a recession; the chart shows that whenever the oil price doubles the UK

goes into recession within 18 months.


In January 2016, the price of a barrel of oil in GBP was £20, in October 2018 it

was £59; this is an increase of almost 200%. Oil underpins the entire structure of

energy prices as well as the cost of building materials, pharma, transport, fertilizer,

plastics, clothing and chemicals.

The second chart shows that retailers have maintained volumes by holding prices.

The summer weather encouraged spending (some of it on credit), but it can be

assumed that margins are being squeezed somewhere along the value chain.


I regret to say that retail can expect further pain over the next year. If there is a no deal Brexit then

import prices will rise as sterling weakens to around $1.18 and supply chains will be disrupted. There

will be a recession.

If there is a deal which extends the transition period to three years, we can expect the economy to

avoid recession but continue to slow down as our export markets lose momentum due to the global

slowdown caused by rising US interest rates and oil prices.

The final chart maps the degree of exposure to the EU of UK business. UK retail is less exposed than

many sectors such as automotive. The retail exposure is essentially reduced quality labour supply and

disrupted EU supply chains.

Unfortunately business cannot control its environment, but it can control how it responds.

Make sure you, and all who work

with you, have a full understanding

of what makes your business

distinctive and compelling. Be clear

on who you want as customers

and suppliers, and stick to it. Do

not join the race to the bottom

with employee benefits. A happy

workforce means happy customers.

Do not rely on external factors to

give you decent margins; instead

rely on innovation, design, ease of

doing business, attitude, and working

smarter - not harder.


DO YOU KNOW YOUR

CARE LABELS…?

Whatever line of work you are in, it is

probable that you wear some form of

uniform – whether that be a suit or overalls,

an apron or a polo shirt. Uniforms are

made up of garments that we must wear

on a regular, if not daily, basis. This means it

is essential that you know how to take care

of your uniform appropriately, to ensure

that it lasts for as long as necessary.

Not only do your uniform garments need

to last, but they need to keep looking fresh

and smart in order to continue representing

your brand to the highest standard; whether

that be the brand of the company that you

work for, or your own personal ‘brand’.

Make sure that you show your uniform

the love that it deserves with our guide to

looking after your clothes…

Nearly all garments now contain care labels

with advice on the most effective ways to

look after clothes to ensure that they last,

but the meanings of the symbols are still

not widely communicated or understood.

This means that unfortunately, clothes and

uniforms in particular, do not always last as

long as they could. To help with this, we

have compiled guidelines on how to get the

most out of your uniform, with a symbolby-symbol

explanation.

Is there anything I should know

before washing my uniform?

When it comes to washing your uniform,

we advise that you wash shirts, tops and

polo shirts after each wear, in order to limit

the damage that perspiration can cause to

fabrics. Most other garments do not need

cleaning after each wear unless they are

visibly stained, in fact, washing items after

each wear unnecessarily can damage the

shelf life of the garment as it can subject the

garments to needless wear and tear.

Always separate lights from darks to

prevent colour running and if possible,

divide by fabric type as well. With all

garments, we recommend fastening the

garments in whatever way necessary in

order to prevent stretching and to protect

the rest of your laundry, as open zips can be

quite damaging to other garments. It is then

a good idea to turn the clothing inside out

to ensure that they hold their colour and

wash clothes on a cooler cycle in order to

prevent fading.

Most garments now, including suiting, are

machine washable which means that the

need to dry clean is limited. This is beneficial

for the shelf life of your uniform as the

strong chemicals used in the dry cleaning

process can affect that, but it can also be an

expensive process!

What about drying it?

When it comes to drying your clothes, it is

advisable to air dry them rather than use

a tumble dryer, as it is gentler on clothing

and can also prevent shrinking. Once dry,

you are better to steam your clothes rather

than iron them as it is less damaging. Invest

in a steamer or for a less costly alternative, it

can work just as well to hang the garments

that you want to remove creases from in

the bathroom while you have a hot shower

- GREAT TRAVEL TIP!

What is the best way to store my

garments?

When it comes to storing your uniform,

lighter fabrics, or those that are more liable

to creasing, should be hung up in your

wardrobe on good quality hangers – either

wooden or velvet. Plastic or wire ones

tend to be weak and do not support the

shaping of the garments.

However, try not to hang too much in your

wardrobe, or this will lead to creasing if your

clothes are packed too closely together.

Instead, fold heavier items such as knitwear

and denim and store them on shelves or in

drawers, so that they keep their shape for

longer.

Whilst this advice has been formed on

the basis of research, these are guidelines

only. You should always follow the specific

wash care instructions on your garments, in

order to care for them properly and make

them last as long as possible.




Award winning designs don’t appear overnight,

they’re a combination of hard work, dedication

and talent. We sat down with Dimensions’ Senior

Designer Sally-Anne to discuss how uniforms are

created.

All great designs start with a brief and uniforms are no

exception. This could be a written brief, a face to face

meeting or a Skype call, either for an existing client

or a potential new customer. Our team of designers

work closely with the Business Development

team or the Account Manager to really dissect and

understand the client’s requirements.

Sally explains; “We have to understand the client

company in order to design an effective uniform

and we need to know their brand guidelines so

we can design to reflect these accurately. We also

work to understand what they’re trying to achieve

with their uniform. For example, the client could

be currently dressed in a smart formal range but

they’d like to make a change to a casual range,

or they’d like to add to their current range with

more pieces.”

The birth of

a uniform

The designers then work on understanding the

wearer, and what kind of environment they work in.

Often, they undertake site visits to different locations

to speak to the wearers and understand how they

feel about their current uniform and what they feel

their requirements are for their job. Our aim is to

always make the wearers feel comfortable, proud

and happy, as this is reflected in how they interact

with their customer so it is important to take their

opinions into account when designing the uniform.

“Once we’ve understood the brief and conducted

wearer research, the design project really starts

in earnest,” Sally says, “We go away and research

relevant trends to inspire our ideas, going to fabric

fairs, fashion shows, shopping trips and looking

at WGSN for future predictions. When we talk

about looking at trends, it’s quite different to retail

where items are designed seasonally, we need to

make sure our designs look modern whist having


longevity. We look at everything…colour, fabric, details,

shapes, necklines and more! We are looking for timeless

styling that will still look fresh in years to come.”

Our designers then put their talents to work, producing trend

boards, mood boards and colour palettes. Working closely

with the Fabric team, they source the most suitable fabrics

for the functionality of the uniform, this could be simple, tried

and tested basics or more complex fabric innovations such

as the new 37.5 technology. Our team then put together

design boards and figure illustrations. Sometimes they’ll work

on flat format designs or they’ll illustrate the garments onto

figures, this could be for a single product or the entire range

plan. The design process is always guided by the customer’s

requirements.

Sally explains the next step: “We then present the ideas to

the customer, it’s interesting because we often present

to different stakeholders, in one company this could be

Marketing but in the next we’re presenting to the HR team

or the whole executive board.”

For some customers, we also hold focus groups of wearers

that vary in age, shape and size. Our design team work through

the potential designs with the group and give them samples and

fabric swatches for their opinion. Any feedback we get from the

client or the focus group is taken back to be considered and

implemented.

Once the designs have been agreed with the client, they then

move to the sampling stage. This involves working closely with

the Product Development team who liaise with our specialist

manufacturers in order to create the samples required. When

the garments arrive at Dimensions, they are closely scrutinized

by all the teams to make sure they meet our high quality

standards before presenting to the customer.

Sally explains the next step; “Once we have the go ahead from

the client we organise a wearer trial. This is usually one or

more customer sites that are chosen to trial the uniform

to ensure the fit, style and look are well received by the

wearers, and the garments are practical for the job roles.

This gives us the opportunity to perfect the final designs

before they go into production and are rolled out.”

But the designers’ involvement doesn’t end there, Sally

continues;

“Our aim is to make sure that the customer is happy so

we always follow up with their Account Manager to see

that everything has gone smoothly. We’re always on hand

to move a range forward, it could be as simple as new tie or

other accessory or extending the range!”


PERSONAL

PROTECTIVE

EQUIPMENT:


THE

LOW-DOWN

No matter what industry your business operates

in, you will be familiar with Personal Protective

Equipment otherwise known as PPE. Earlier

this year, the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC was

replaced by the Regulation 2016/425 in a bid to

improve health and safety at work.

Many business owners will be questioning

what this means for their organisation and what

changes this could pose to their overall operations

both in the UK and across the European Union

(EU). Opposed to the former directive, the new

regulation is a binding legislative act that must

be applied in its entirety across the EU without

requiring separate national legislation.

It can’t be denied that the western world has

witnessed many changes regarding working

practices — with an abundance of innovative

technology paving the way for new methods of

production; both in machinery and employee

workwear.

Previously, the PPE Directive was completely

focused on manufacturers who placed products

into the market. However, this new regulation

that was put into action on 21st April 2018

will involve the entire supply chain. As a result,

anyone who is part of the supply or distribution

chain must abide by the Regulations and meet

the standard requirements that have been set

out — while also having an understanding that

only products that meet the standards will be

made available on the market.

The Main Standards:

• Making sure PPE complies with the essential health and safety requirements.

• Making sure technical documentation has been drawn up.

• When compliance has been demonstrated the EU declaration of conformity has been drawn

up and a CE mark affixed.

• Retention of documents for ten years.

• Sample testing.

• Duty to take action in relation to non-conforming PPE.

• Labelling requirements.

• Providing instructions and cooperating with the national authority.


Although there is a one-year transition period (ending on

the 21st April 2019) where both the former Directive and

current Regulation are both applicable to businesses, it’s

essential to understand what will be expected when the

Regulation is the only legislation that applies. However, any

EC type-examination certificates and approvals issued under

the Directive will remain valid until the 21st April 2023 unless

they have an earlier expiry date.

Personal Protective Equipment Categories:

There are three main categories associated with PPE which

determine the necessity of the workwear.

Category I (simple design) – where workers assess the

level of protection needed against minimal risks. This could

include the use of garden gloves, footwear or ski goggles for

example.

Category II (neither simple or complex) – clothing

that does not clearly fall within the descriptions of Category

I or Category III, which can include the likes of dry and wet

suits.

Category III (complex design) – any item that falls

under this section is complex in design and is intended to

protect workers against mortal dangers and any irreversible

harm that could impact a person’s health. To give you an

idea, this could potentially include harnesses and respiratory

equipment.

Are Workers Compliant With PPE?

It’s no secret that employers have a duty to ensure personal

protection across their workplace – but are workers showing

a willingness to wear such clothing? Figures have suggested

that 98% of employees have seen colleagues not wearing

PPE when they were supposed to, with a further 30% saying

this happens on a regular basis.

Excuses varied as to why employees were not wearing the

appropriate workwear with some suggesting that it looked

unattractive, made them too hot, was a poor fit and was not

very practical which should most definitely not be the case

for workwear.

98 % supposed to.

of employees have

seen colleagues

not wearing PPE

when they were

There are many statistics that highlight the importance of PPE.

Did you know that 9% of all injuries are head injuries because

the majority of such occurrences have not been wearing the

proper headwear?

As well as this, 25% of all workplace injuries involve a person’s

fingers and hands which could be reduced by 60% if safety

gloves are worn. 25% of employees are exposed to noise

that are higher than the recommended level too, but such

damage can be reduced 99% by wearing the right type of

hearing protection.

From the figures above, it’s evident that workers across

all industries need to be better educated on PPE and

how it can protect them from physical threat. However,

businesses must also take away from this article that workers

feel uncomfortable in the PPE workwear that has been

distributed to them – you must strike a balance between

safety requirements and comfort to ensure that staff wear

such equipment when needed.

Sources:

https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/mechanical-engineering/personal-protective-equipment_en

https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/blog/Built-Environment-Blog/ppe-directive-changes/

http://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/ppe.htm

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/390/made

https://legislationupdateservice.co.uk/news/new-personal-protective-equipment-regulation/

https://outlook.office.com/owa/?path=/mail/sentitems


With the introduction of the new PPE

Directive, we recently caught up with

Mick Spencer, Quality Assurance &

Production Manager at Dimensions to

find out what this means for businesses.

We understand that the old PPE

Directive 89/686/EEC has been

repealed and replaced with a new

Regulation 2016/425, please tell us

more about the change.

The new regulation is one

of the most significant

changes to the rules

surrounding PPE in over

20 years. The change

from a ‘Directive’ to a

‘Regulation’ is a substantial

alternation as a ‘Regulation’

is a binding legislative act

that sets out an objective that all EU

countries must achieve by a given date.

Why has the Directive changed?

The changes have been made to

improve ownership within the supply

chain which will drive suppliers to keep

up-to-date with current technology,

processes for development and

production techniques. The new

regulation also enhances consumer

safety and ensures fair competition

between companies.

What does this mean to our

customers?

It’s important to note that whilst

employers do have duties concerning

the provision and use of personal

protective equipment at work, PPE

should only be used as a last resort.

UNDERSTANDING

CHANGES IN

PPE LEGISLATION

Making the workplace safe is the

first priority which includes providing

instructions, procedures, training and

supervision to encourage people to

work safely and responsibly.

However, should personal protective

equipment be a requirement, our

customers can have peace of mind that

all the necessary steps are being taken

to assure all our items of PPE will be in

conformance with the new regulation.

This will provide the confidence

that our customers are investing in a

product that will protect their greatest

asset: their workforce.

What does this mean to

Dimensions?

We currently have a comprehensive

register of all the PPE we supply.

Due to the change in legislation we

have taken the opportunity to create

a dedicated system for coding and

traceability of PPE.

We are working with our manufacturing

base and our notified body to ensure

all products will be manufactured in

conformance to the new regulation and

timeline. We are also working closely

with our inspection partner for ongoing

surveillance of PPE within our supply

chain.

Is there any advice you’d like to

give to our customers?

The most important piece of advice I

can give to our customers is that they

need to make sure that they buy their

PPE from a reliable, fully compliant

supplier.


HEALTH ENABLES RETURNS;

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH

THE HERPROJECT

It is no secret that global supply chains are a major employer of

women; indeed, women represent an average of 68% of the

garment workforce and 45% of the textile sector workforce.

These low-income working women often face significant and

specific challenges, such as a low status in the workplace, low

skill levels, irregular and excessive hours, harassment, violence,

and discrimination; these challenges are reinforced by a lower

status in society. It is a fact that some female factory workers

are vulnerable due to low educational levels and live away

from their families in rented premises and are mainly migrants

from rural areas.

The Ready Made Garment industry provides women access

to a formal economy, stable employment, and some measure

of social security and social acceptability, but in spite of these

opportunities for advancement, women workers are still at

risk of different forms of harassment in the workplace. Many

female workers also experience violence at home and in their

community.

Factory middle management, mostly men, do not possess

essential skills to manage workplace relationships; they also

have difficulty behaving appropriately in a high-pressure

environment. Moreover, factory management needs more

support in strengthening factory policies and systems to

protect and promote workers’ well-being. Positive working

relationships and empowered workers are inextricably linked

to higher productivity and sustainable supply chains.

To help enable these women to take greater control of

their lives, and ensure that they can make and act on the

choices that they value, we are proud to collaborate with

Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) in implementing the

HERproject.

The HERproject is the leading collaborative effort to

empower low-income women at work, reaching over

800,000 women workers in numerous countries:

Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, China, India, Pakistan, Cambodia,

Indonesia & Vietnam. The HERproject predominantly

focuses on building women’s awareness in the supply chain

on their health, financial and gender equality needs through

three programmes:


1HERrespect provides targeted workplace-based training over a 12-month period. HERrespect raises

gender awareness among management and workers and builds their skills to prevent and address

harassment. The training activities, materials, and impacts are locally driven and respond to local

needs.

2

3

HERhealth increases women’s health awareness and gives access to health services through

sustainable workplace programmes.

HERfinance helps to build financial knowledge of low income workers by delivering workplace

financial educational programmes and connecting facility employees to suitable financial services.

Through the HERproject we can change the lives of the

women who work in our supply base and we are actively

engaged with the HERproject as a key part of our business

strategy.

We have successfully implemented the HERrespect

programme into two of our Bangladeshi suppliers reaching

over 4000 workers. The baseline assessment was conducted

in March 2017, and the end of programme (midline)

report was conducted in March 2018. A further end line

assessment is scheduled to take place by the end of 2018

and the results will be shared on our website,

www.dimensions.co.uk.

The programme has had great success in the two factories

with awareness on gender equality and harassment in the

workplace, community and home improving dramatically.

We will continue to work with our suppliers to ensure the

principles of the programme have longevity and the workers

and management systems continue to develop and grow.

We hope to roll this programme

out in our other sourcing

countries to widen our reach

with workers in our supply chain.

We intend to expand our involvement with HERhealth

further around our global supply chain, impacting women,

families and communities whilst building management

relationships.

Participating in the HERfinance programme enables us

to provide low-income workers with easy to understand

information about personal finance in a culturally relevant

manner through a series of brief workshops that take place in

the workplace. Some of these employees are then selected

as peer educators for the rest of the workforce and for their

local communities. This project creates a powerful ripple

effect along existing communication networks with 77% of

workers sharing information they learned from their peers.

Taking part in this programme will enhance the lives of both

the men and women who work in our supply chain.

With all of the HERproject initiatives we encourage our

facilities and customers to partner with us in developing and

running these projects.

HERhealth is currently running

in Indonesia where we hope to

impact around 4000 women both

in the workplace and community.

Taking part in this programme

will not only benefit the women

but also the workplace. Since

running this project, facilities

that have taken part have seen

a reduction in absenteeism,

increased productivity, increased

cleanliness of the facility, increased

use of PPE and improved worker

– management relationships.


EQUALITY

IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

The environment for women in our sourcing

countries is known to be unequal when compared

to men. In order for us to understand the level of

male to female workers in our supply chain we

have undertaken a gender mapping exercise. As

a result of this, we can now split out by gender

the worker, supervisor and management level of

females in our tier 1 supply chain.

Our research has shown that in our Bangladesh

supply chain 66% of the workforce is female,

but only 10% of females have made it to

supervisor level, and even less, 2%, have made

it to management level. Comparing this to our

China supply chain where 68% of the workforce

is female the breakdown into higher level jobs

is much more even. 66% of the supervisors

are female and 54% of the management are

female which represents a much more even split

considering the overall female to male ratio.

Our participation in programmes such as the

HERproject and Business Action for Women

will help towards raising awareness for female

workers and promoting them in the workplace.

When implementing these programmes we

purposely target specific regions with low female

management or supervisor representation to

encourage gender equality in our supply chain.

The implementation of these programmes will

help us to train factory owners in the importance

of fair representation by women at management

and supervisor levels.

Following the gender mapping exercise we intend

to conduct a gender pay analysis throughout our

supply chain. This will be completed with the help

of local companies and employees who are able

to understand local pay requirements.

By conducting the gender mapping research we

have been able to identify areas which need our

focus. This is a big challenge but we recognise if

we manage to have an impact it will make a huge

difference.



















DON’T MISS

OUR NEXT

ISSUE...

BREXIT

SUSTAINABILITY

TREND

GUIDE

VOLUME 4

Don’t forget to keep up to date

www.dimensions.co.uk


RICH CONTI NAMED

“PRODUCT MANAGER OF THE YEAR”!

Following our announcement in the

Spring/Summer edition of the magazine,

that we were shortlisted in the

computing Digital Technology Leaders

Awards, we are delighted to announce

that Richard Conti’s hard work and

dedication was recognised and he won

the much coveted “Product Manager

of the Year” award for his work on our

bespoke ordering system Detail.

Dimensions first began investing in

providing a bespoke online solution

in 2007 by the name of DUOS,

but by 2015, whilst the offering was

functionally rich, it was beginning to

look dated to users. The Detail project

aimed to remove the hassle of uniform

management and create a seamless

solution from order to delivery.

Hotel in Grosvenor Square. The

project director said; “Richard and his

team faced enormous challenges to

deliver the breadth of functionality

in Detail, but Richard never faulted

in his leadership, working tirelessly

with his team and keeping his famous

sense of humour! It’s brilliant to have

such inspiring leaders in the team, and

Richard’s win was well deserved.”

Richard said; “I was shocked to be

nominated, and to win was fantastic.

I couldn’t have won without the

support of my team, who made the

Detail project the success it was. It’s

a huge personal achievement for me

and I’m thrilled to have won against

such strong competition.”

Members of the original Detail project

team attended the glittering awards

ceremony at the London Marriott


How the

past 30

years are

shaping

today’s

wardrobes

“Fashion comes

and goes but style

”

lasts forever

- Coco Chanel


The last 3 decades have seen many changes in style

and silhouette, yet when looking through our archives

this summer, in preparation for our 30th anniversary,

it was fascinating to see how the fashion of the last

30 years is still influencing today’s wardrobes; be it at

home or in the work place.

The ‘80s was a decade of bold, contrasting colours &

patterns and strong silhouettes, known for its shoulder

pads and perms! Men’s fashion was relaxed with

oversized sportswear styles and loose fitting tailoring,

whereas women’s working wardrobes boasted power

suits and strong body shapes.

The ‘90s marked the end of the yuppie era (Young

Urban Professional) and fashion became more relaxed.

Men were heavily influenced by the music of the day

and the sports clothing that the artists wore. Women

had a softer silhouette wearing slip dresses with kitten

heels or Dr. Martens’ combat boots if you were part of

the grunge scene. Utility-styled cargo trousers with lots

of pockets were also a staple of this era; especially if

they were camouflage!

The noughties were heavily influenced by globalisation

with Middle Eastern and Asian styling being

incorporated into mainstream fashion. The movement

in sustainable fashion was also prevalent in the 00’s

with an increased focus on ethical clothing and ecofriendly

practices such as up-cycling or shopping for

vintage pieces.

If we look at the latest trend guide (pages 29 - 44),

we see ‘90s inspired sports clothing and big logoed

items; bold colours of the ‘80s and brave patterns that

contrast to create innovative prints; recycled objects

made from discarded clothes and work wear inspired

utility pieces reminiscent of the ‘00s.

The current decade places emphasis on gender fluidity

and the importance of being comfortable in your own

skin, but however you choose to dress, the fact is

undeniable that the last 30 years are still influencing

today’s wardrobes!


NO

GRIT,

NO

PEARL

From our small beginnings in 1988, over the last 30

years we have grown into an international company

that dispatches almost 20 million garments a year and

we are proud to dress approximately 13% of the

UK’s workforce.

To celebrate our Pearl anniversary, an exciting day of

celebrations was held for the staff in June, where we

looked back over the years, highlighting significant

events and achievements, along with providing a

glimpse into the future of what the next 30 years

could bring. We also interviewed members of staff

to learn about their journeys and how the working

world has changed over the last 3 decades, which we

have been sharing on our website in our “my story

so far…” series.

To commemorate such a milestone, we also set

ourselves the charity challenge of walking 40 miles in

under 24 hours; you can read about our moorland

adventures on page 54!


But, the fun wasn’t just

reserved for our staff,

to celebrate our journey,

we created bespoke

anniversary bears for all our

customers, each complete

with their own uniform as

a memento of our special

anniversary.

Hayley Brooks, Managing Director said:

“Dimensions has certainly grown up since 1988

when we first set out, but we haven’t lost our

ambition or hunger to improve and help more and

more people love how they look at work.”

“We would not have been able to achieve this

without the support of our colleagues and

customers; some of which have been with us

from the very beginning. As we have grown and

evolved our offering over the years we are proud

to have helped our clients grow their businesses

and brands. We are so incredibly grateful for the

support and loyalty our customers show us. We

are dedicated to continuing the high service levels

our customers have come to expect.”

Hayley concludes: “Looking forward to the future

I see a very bright one for Dimensions. We will

always embrace new ideas and challenges with

the tenacity that Dimensions is known for! We’ve

come a long way since 1988 and all my teams are

excited to see where the next 30 years takes us.”

If you’d like to see more of our celebrations, hop

over to our social media channels and look for

#DimensionsPearl.




COMMEMORATIVE

CHARITY CHALLENGE

In June 2018, 36 of our staff took on

the Lyke Wake Walk charity challenge

to commemorate our anniversary

milestone. The Lyke Wake Walk is a 40

mile hike across Yorkshire moorland, it

must be completed in under 24 hours,

and the going is tough and unforgiving.

The 28th June dawned on our team

of walkers and the Met Office issued

a weather warning for extreme heat

in excess of 30 degrees Celsius. It was

recorded as one of the hottest days of

the year; rail tracks buckled in the intense

heat and road surfaces melted!

The support team were concerned for

the walkers and made sure they were

well watered and had shade wherever

possible. The walkers certainly felt the

heat during the hike…with the exception

of Fabric Technical Assistant, Paul, who

completed the walk wearing a 37.5 suit,

complete with shirt, trousers, socks, tie,

blazer and cap!

“Working in the technical team we see

a lot of fabric innovations we love to

try before offering them to our clients.

After seeing an article in the Dimensions

magazine about a man running a

marathon in 37.5 fabric, I thought that


hiking 40 miles in a 37.5 suit in both the

freezing cold and blistering hot would

be the perfect opportunity to put the

fabric to the test ourselves.”

37.5 has had a lot of publicity and in 2017

Felix Mayerhoefer ran the Hamburg

marathon wearing a 37.5 suit, and set a

new Guinness world record! Tests have

shown that when athletes are wearing

37.5 garments their performance is

improved by 26%. Despite these

impressive findings Paul was still a little

sceptical.

Paul explains, “In all honesty I was

probably the most sceptical out of the

team. I’d said beforehand I was getting

a little concerned, so just in case I also

packed a shorts and t shirt! I was aware

that it’s not a magic fabric, so if I got too

hot I wanted to have other options but

unbelievably I didn’t need them. As daft

as it sounds I could have gone further…

don’t test me on that though!”

37.5 Technology is cutting edge, designed

to be responsive to the wearer, cooling

when it’s hot and warming when it’s cold.

The temperature of the Lyke Wake Walk

fluctuated between 8 degrees at the

coldest point in the night, to 31 degrees

at the hottest part of the day. With no

shelter up on the moor, the walkers

certainly felt the wrath of the elements.

Paul said; “During the night part of the

walk, the temperature was low and

my colleagues were wearing jumpers,

scarves and snoods. I didn’t need to

wear anything else, my suit kept me at

a nice temperature. In the heat the suit

wicked moisture away from my body

and left me feeling cool, I don’t think I

would have been any cooler in shorts

and a t-shirt.”

An impressive feature of the fabric is that

recovery time is sped up after a period

of exhaustion and Paul was pleasantly

surprised by these findings and remarked

that he was keen to get going after rest

breaks and didn’t feel as exhausted as he

had expected. In fact, Paul was one of

the first back and completed the walk

in the amazing time of 16 hours and 15

minutes and was delighted to find out he

won the much coveted “Best Dressed”

award too!

All the team made it in under 24 hours

and raised a phenomenal £16,000

for our chosen charities; a significant

achievement in an historical year.

We hope you have enjoyed this

edition of our magazine which we

have developed to bring you the

latest in innovation, market trends

and industry news.

We’d love to hear your feedback and

any suggestions of articles you’d like

to see in the next issue! Email us at

marketing@dimensions.co.uk

Join the conversation:

@dimensions_mwuk

Dimensions (MWUK Ltd)

dimensions_mwuk

Fancy a chat about your uniform

needs? Give us a call today

01332 697045

or email us at:

hello@dimensions.co.uk



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