Uniforms are a brilliant way to promote your brand, and bring a consistent image to your team’s overall image. They can be a great option for businesses who haven’t previously had uniforms before – and that’s really who these 5 tips are written for. Or you might be new to the process of procuring uniforms, in which case… read on!

1. Ordering unisex uniforms

I don’t think we need to go into the differences between mens and ladies body shapes (that’s for a whole other blog post! Ha!), but one BIG boo-boo managers often make is ordering a Unisex garment or uniform, or ordering it in Men’s style and issuing it to all the women. The best way to have all your staff feeling confident and proud in their uniform is to consider different styles, cuts and sizes. Total Uniform Solutions offer both mens and ladies in our large range of popular styles, so you can still create a uniform look but please everyone and flatter all body shapes. Order one of our Sizing Grids (the product you want in a range of sizes) so your staff can try them on before you bulk order. That way you can be sure there will be no ordering errors and staff can select the size, cut and style that best suits them.

2. Choosing fast and cheap

Fast and cheap is never a good option if you want quality, durability and staff satisfaction. It might seem like a good option to pick the fast and cheap option to save some money, but in the long run it will end up costing you more than just your cash. Customers will pick up on the cheap quality, staff won’t enjoy wearing them and you may end up having to pay more to replace the uniforms more often due to poor wear and tear. We understand that every business has a budget, so if you have concerns about achieving what you want within that budget please talk to one of our friendly and knowledgeable team to see what we can do. We may encourage you to look at other options, but in the end the quality will be the best you can afford.

3. Not considering your embellishment properly

If you need to embellish your uniform – and let’s face it, it’s not really a uniform unless your branding is represented somewhere. One of the biggest rookie mistakes is not considering how the uniform is being worn, and the conditions it is used in. For uniforms that are constantly moving, brushing up on things, or being exposed to the elements, you should opt for a more hard-wearing embellishment like embroidery. An employee that has a very sedentary office job, then you may get away with a high-quality printed logo. They are cost effective and long-lasting but won’t compare to other embellishment types if the conditions are more rigorous. Consider durability, cost effectiveness, ability to colour-match, level of detail required and garment / fabric suitability. Talk to us about your embellishment options – we have in-house embellishment capabilities and can prepare samples for you if you are unsure as well as give you guidelines of the different positions you can place logos on garments.

4. Choosing the wrong supplier

When you are choosing your uniform supplier, make sure you do your research as uniform providers are not all created equal. The last thing you want is for the process to be delayed, have disgruntled employees, to overspend or make mistakes. Check out our blog post “16 Questions You Should Be Asking When Selecting Your Uniform Supplier” to give you some more tips. Total Uniform Solutions provides uniforms for the following industries:

• Small to Medium Business

• Professional Services

• Hospitality Uniforms

• Beauty & Fitness

• Healthcare

• Mining & Resources

• Labour Hire

• Building & Construction

• Transport & Logistics

• Events & Promotions

• Government Departments

• Retail

• Security & Safety

• Franchises

• Training & Education

• Merchandise

• Bags & Equipment

5. Over-complicating the design

We see this mistake (almost) happen time and time again and it is through our expert consultation we are able to guide our clients towards solutions that are going to be the most effective for their business. Over-complicating the design, not knowing what is possible and missing opportunities, or not considering how branding can best work on apparel items, is an easy mistake to make when you’re new to it. For example, just because you have fluoro orange as your corporate colour, it doesn’t mean you should find matching bright orange polo shirts! Yuck! We work closely with our clients to make sure that the design decisions they make – whether it’s selecting the best colour garments, choosing the right fabric for the use cases, how the logo is applied, or what embellishment will look best (and work even better).

What’s next?

Take all of these common mistakes on-board and make sure you are ordering exactly what you need and want for your corporate uniforms. Total Uniform Solutions has developed uniforms and merchandise for Spicers Retreats, 99 Bikes, RACQ, Datacom, Anytime Fitness, Coles Group...among others, so you know you are working with a trusted team.

Contact us to discuss your uniform project in more detail.