Doing a job well isn’t just about having the skills, training and motivation to work effectively each day. The clothing you wear, and the fabrics that clothing is made of, can help you do a job to the best of your abilities.
From customer-facing positions in hospitality to demanding jobs in healthcare, we explain what materials might be best for you and your staff uniforms.
Why is the right fabric for your workwear so important?
Depending on your job, you’ll require clothing made of fabrics that help you to meet different key aims. This could include:
- Continuously looking your best for your customers or clients
- Carrying out fast-paced work under pressure
- Working effectively in hazardous or hot environments where you should be protected or kept cool
Workwear fabrics to always look your best
In hospitality and business roles, looking your best for your customers or clients is of paramount importance. This could include booking in guests when working front of house in a top hotel, or meeting a big client for the first time in your corporate company.
Crepe de chine is a quality fabric that can bring an elegant, long-lasting and professional look, while offering incredible comfort and ease of care. A wrap front blouse made of the fabric, for example, could provide a modern and feminine image for the female receptionists in your hotel business. Alternatively, tweed, can be a stylish and classic choice of fabric for staff working in a restaurant or hotel bar. For instance, a tailored tweed jacket could add personality to the appearance of your bar staff, or complement the brand image of a hip or rustic restaurant.
Accessories designed with 100% polyester, like a colourful neck tie or a patterned scarf, edged with a cool crepe fabric, can also add to a uniform and help make a lasting impression on your hotel or restaurant guests.
Workwear fabrics for fast-paced, pressured work
Roles in healthcare involve fast-paced work where doctors and nurses must be able to react and move quickly, while carrying out complex tasks under pressure. From attending to patients on a busy hospital ward, to conducting speedy surgery comfortably while under pressure, healthcare staff require clothing that’s tough, light and flexible.
Fabrics that are good for heavy, fast-paced healthcare roles include blends of polyester and cotton, which combines the strengths of the two fibres. This includes scrubs, medical tunics and dresses, which have a higher ratio of polyester, alongside a lower percentage of cotton. The blend provides a tear-resistant, lightweight fabric, with the added cotton giving breathability and insulation to help you keep you cool and comfortable in the most pressurised situations.
Workwear fabrics to protect, keep clean or keep cool
A big part of daily work in hair and beauty and the food and beverage sector involves working effectively in environments with hazardous chemicals or hot liquids. This could involve a chef cooking with steaming-hot, coloured sauces in a restaurant kitchen, or a beautician using bleaches and dyes to style a customer’s hair.
Fabrics that are durable, resistant to many chemicals, quick-drying, and easy to wash, are ideal for such roles where spillages can happen. This could include garments made with polyester, like a salon tunic, or a chef jacket. Such clothing is machine washable, long-lasting, and colour-fast, retaining colour and cleanliness after each wash. Garments that include a heat-resistant and self-cleaning material, such as those with a Teflon coating, can also be beneficial in any role where spillages and stains might occur.
In addition to working with hazardous chemicals, working in humid and hot environments can also be a challenge of the beauty sector. This could include a masseuse working in a hot spa, or a manicurist in a beautician business where hot machinery, like sunbeds, hair and nail dryers, are frequently used. An ideal fabric to do these types of jobs is a linen blend, which is lightweight and stretchable. A linen blend tunic, for instance, would help a beautician keep cool by offering them comfort, breathability and ease of movement when tending to customers in a busy salon.
Helping you find workwear with the right fabric for your business
Whether you work in hospitality or healthcare, corporate business or hair and beauty, it’s important to find high-quality, reliable and affordable clothing, which is made with fabric that’s right for you and your team.
At Simon Jersey, we are proud to provide workwear that’s designed with fabrics that are:
- Easy to care for – Most of our garments are machine washable and made to last
- Made with expert knowledge – We have 45 years’ experience providing brand-enhancing workwear of all shapes and sizes
- Tested for everyday practicality – We test our fabrics to ensure they provide durability and day-to-day comfort
To find out more about the fabrics we use in workwear across all our clothing sectors, take a look at our Shop By Product page. Alternatively, send us a request for a catalogue or get in touch with a member of our helpful team.
