BUSINESS: FIRST IMPRESSIONS

First Impressions

The uniforms your staff wear play a big role in making a great first impression on your clients. We chat to the designers behind some of Australia’s top uniform brands on what makes their designs stand out.

ALEXANDRA FOSTER, THE BETTER UNIFORMS CO.

How would you describe the uniforms you offer in a couple of sentences?

Our uniforms are chic, unisex and utilitarian. Quite simply, we do uniforms better; better for business, better for teams and better for the environment. We specialise in high-end, minimal aesthetic uniforms for the workspace using organic fabrics and ethical manufacturing, resulting in long-lasting durable uniforms which are made-to-order.

A uniform should do three things for a business; get the team excited for work, aesthetically speak to customers and represent a business and continue to tell a business’ brand story. Seems simple, yet these key elements of industry uniforms seem to have become lost in a fog of uninspiring, mass produced garments that can hurt businesses in the long run. We think it’s time for change, we think it’s time for ‘better’.

What kind of business/jobs are your uniforms made for?

The Better Uniforms Co. is all about bringing fashion into the workspace, without any compromise to comfort, quality or ethics. Our utilitarian designs are suitable for any customer facing business; hospitality, hotels, airlines, beauty and spas as well as all retail environments.

Modern businesses have very little to no options for industry uniforms that are sustainable, premium and fashion-led so that’s what we do. The Better Uniform Co is all about rounding out the existing sustainable conscience of a business - they’ve considered conscious design, interiors and eco-friendly offerings, now their team uniforms can align with their ethos too.

What sets your uniforms apart from other brands?

Sustainability is not just a cute marketing exercise for us, it’s in our DNA. We consider the people and the planet on every step of the supply chain, from the Better Cotton Initiative organic cotton farms to the non-toxic dye house and our GOTS & WRAP certified manufacturing partners who make each garment. We even calculate the water, waste and carbon footprint of each order for our clients and offset all emissions. On average, our uniforms result in 92% water savings, 58% CO2 savings and 85% waste savings compared to the industry standard.

What are your best-sellers and why do you think that is?

Our boilersuits have been very popular for the beauty and wellness space which is not surprising because the uniform offerings in this space are well overdue for a shake up. They are chic, comfortable and unisex, making them the perfect utilitarian uniform for hard-working teams.

Brand merch is really having a moment, so our tee’s, sweatshirts and tote bags are constantly on reorder which is great. Having an affordable organic option in this space has proven to be very valuable for us and our clients.

Can uniforms be customised at all?

One of the (many) benefits of making our uniforms to order is flexibility in bespoke finishes. We can customise buttons, pockets, and even colour. Of course, we can also print or embroider any design decal our clients want, whether that be a logo, slogan or team names.

Our mission is to make better uniforms, so we are on the hunt for a business to co-create a custom uniform collection with us, that takes a fresh approach to the current offerings in the health, beauty and wellness space. The offer includes a completely bespoke uniform design and delivery for no design fee, no minimums, no sample fees, and no retail mark-up. We will manufacture the organic pieces in our Melbourne factory and even collaborate on a photo shoot that can be used for marketing purposes.

If this sounds like an opportunity you would like to be involved with, please reach out to us at hello@thebetteruniforms.com .

thebetteruniforms.com

LEANNE SPRING, SPRING SPA WEAR

How would you describe the uniforms you offer in a couple of sentences?

Elegant with a modern twist. We know what it takes to balance style, practicality and comfort when it comes to spa wear. With decades of experience as therapists working in salons, we have carefully considered the need to balance practicality with presentation above all else.

What kind of business/jobs are your uniforms made for?

Our uniforms are not just strictly spa wear, we cater for everyone from beauty and medical professionals to dental practitioners, nurses and hairdressers. Our wide range of colours (black, white, dove grey, charcoal grey, navy, blush pink and electric blue) and sizes from 4-28 means that there are choices to suit your clinic or spa’s unique style.

What sets your uniforms apart from other brands?

Created by beauty industry professionals for beauty professionals, our uniforms are designed and made right here in Australia. We’ve created our own signature two-way stretch fabric that allows for freedom of movement in all directions, and is cool and comfortable to wear. Our quick wash and wear fabric is non-iron, fade resistant and allows for stains to be easily removed.

"Keep an eye out for our new 100% organic linen uniforms coming soon."

What are your best-sellers and why do you think that is?

We have recently released new scrubs styles, the Billy Scrub Top and Jogger Scrub Pants, that have been so popular. From our tunic range, the best sellers are SPA 14 and SPA 26. These two styles are perfectly tailored and have interesting neckline design features which everyone loves.

We also have something new and exciting on the horizon which everyone has been asking for… Keep an eye out for our new 100% organic linen uniforms coming soon.

Can uniforms be customised at all?

Unfortunately we do not customise uniform colours due to minimum fabric order requirements. Whilst we do not offer uniform embroidery services, all of our tunics and aprons can be embroidered. We suggest you search for embroiderers in your local area.

Springspawear.com.au

KANGARAMA

How would you describe the uniforms you offer in a couple of sentences?

Our uniforms are comfortable, fashionable and most importantly at the forefront of science & technology. We have a strong focus on making better sustainable choices when selecting what we develop our uniforms with.

What kind of business/jobs in the aesthetics space are your uniforms suitable for?

Our products are catered for anyone in the spa or medi-aesthetic area, our uniforms have style and comfort in mind as well as technology.

What sets your uniforms apart from other brands?

Kangarama has developed a technology that makes our uniforms antibacterial and antiviral. When developing the brand we wanted to make sure we were making better environmental decisions, we produced uniforms that are better quality using certified recycled polyester. These uniforms will have a longer life cycle.

What are your best-sellers and why do you think that is? Our Eden cargo pant and Danitee three pocket scrub has been extremely popular. Our clients are constantly giving us feedback on how we have perfected style and comfort. They do not feel like they are wearing an average scrub uniform. We are about to launch new styles and I think these will be the next best-seller.

Can uniforms be customised at all?

We are constantly developing new styles, we also have eight new colours that will be available mid year. We are happy to discuss customisation but there would be a minimum unit requirement to make this workable with our manufacturers.

kangarama.com

Beautex Designs

Turning Waste Into Uniforms

Beautex Designs started turning plastic water bottle waste into hair & beauty workwear, and whilst they’ve made massive waves in the industry already with their unique textiles, there was still one part of the process that, up until recently, they hadn’t quite solved... their own fabric offcut waste. For every 5000 recycled t-shirts made, at least 500 additional tees and dresses can be made by re-purposing the fabric scraps off the factory floor, and that’s exactly what BeauTex Founder Brooke Jones is doing.

“To make this happen, we’ve teamed up with a local Australian social enterprise that provides work and training to women from refugee and migrant backgrounds, supporting the women in this training school to increase their speed and accuracy with sewing, giving them more opportunity to earn an income and support their families,” Brooke explains. “That’s right! You can get T-shirts and dresses for your business that are not only made from recycled plastic water bottles but are also constructed from textile waste offcuts!”

“We have disrupted the workwear manufacturing industry, finding new ways to re-think, re-design and implement change. We’ve been committed to finding innovative and sustainable ways to tackle the global waste crisis and hold the workwear and textile industry to a higher standard of manufacturing. These new products are available to every business, academy, salon and stylist out there who want to be a part of the disruption with us!”

beautexdesigns.com