Tag Archives: bespoke

Why do companies brand uniform?

There are many reasons why businesses and organisations brand uniform and clothing, some are practical, and some are for design purposes. Often businesses do it for a more than one reason, both practical and design.

Ownership of clothing

By branding uniform, you are making sure that it is clearly labelled as being owned by the business.  It’s much less likely that it will be used by the employee for anything other than work. It also identifies the clothing as an asset of the business.  Clothing is often tax tabbed for this reason.

Labels for Jones Bootmakers
Tax Tabs for Branding

Marketing

Adding brand logos to uniform and Pantone matching clothing can help to strengthen a band’s exposure and make it more memorable to customers.

Identity

Branded uniform can give staff a sense of identity with each other and also for customers. You can clearly identify a sales assistant in a store if they are wearing a uniform.  If a trades person arrives at your door and they branded uniform on, it reassures you that they are from the company you are expecting.

Ways to brand uniform

There are many ways to brand uniform, you can have a full bespoke item which is dyed to match your exact Pantone colour.  You can scale it right back with a tax tab label sewn on for a discreet look or you can add print and embroidery with a logo and tag line.

Uniforms particularly in the hospitality sector have become part of the whole hotel or restaurant design.  For example, if the style of the restaurant is industrial, with lots of wood and metal.  The clothing may reflect that with denim, or leather fabrics.  The branding may be a logo in the design of a branding stamp, again to reflect industry.  It helps to make the whole experience immersive for the customer.

The Benefits of a Customised Apron

A customised apron serves as a distinctive and practical choice for your business, highlighting your brand and your team while providing comfort and functionality. At Impact Trading, we offer an extensive range of styles and fabrics to cater to the unique needs of hospitality and various other industries.

The Advantages of a Customised Apron

The key advantage of using a customised apron for your business is branding and professionalism. Customised aprons serve as a walking advertisement for your brand, as they can feature your company logo, colours or specific designs. They can also create a professional and cohesive image for your company as they promote a polished and professional image and standardise the appearance of your staff.

Employee Morale and Identity

Providing customised aprons for your team fosters a sense of belonging and unity among employees, and it can also instil a shared identity and pride in representing the company. In terms of employee morale, wearing a customised apron can make employees feel valued and appreciated, and it adds a personal touch to the workwear, contributing to overall job satisfaction.

Promotional Opportunities

Customised aprons can be used as promotional items during special events or trade shows. This can attract attention, engage potential customers and create a positive association with your brand. You could also use a customised apron for special occasions or seasonal events.

Functional Design and Comfort

Customisation allows you to design aprons that cater to specific job requirements. Whether it’s extra pockets for tools or adjustable straps for comfort, tailored designs enhance functionality. This also benefits your employees as aprons made from comfortable and breathable materials ensure that your employees can work with ease, contributing to overall job satisfaction and productivity.

Customised Aprons at Impact Trading

At Impact Trading, we understand that one size does not fit all. Choose from our selection of beautifully crafted apron styles tailored to meet the specific demands of your profession. Whether it’s the classic bib apron, the functional half apron or the sophisticated bistro apron, each style is designed to offer both aesthetic appeal and practicality. Selecting the right fabric is crucial for comfort and durability, so you can opt for 60-degree wash fabric, polyester/cotton blends, 100% cotton for a soft touch or denim for a rugged, authentic look. For those with a commitment to sustainability, there is also an option for organic and Fairtrade-certified aprons, showcasing our dedication to ethical manufacturing.

Bespoke Aprons

At Impact Trading, we go above and beyond by offering made-to-order aprons, ensuring that each piece meets the unique requirements of your business. The diverse range of fabrics includes half Panama, bull denim, denim, organic denim, recycled coffee sacks, coated cotton and Pantone-dyed half Panama aprons. We can also dye all our aprons in the UK to your specific Pantone colour, and each apron, regardless of the chosen fabric or style, is superbly stitched and finished at our UK factory.

We feel that the benefits of customised aprons extend beyond design and aesthetics. They can also play a pivotal role in shaping your business’s brand identity, enhancing employee morale and creating a positive impression on customers. Our commitment to excellence, ethical practices and unmatched customisation options makes our aprons an indispensable choice for businesses looking to elevate their professional image.

Premier Aprons

Premier workwear is an established company who have been supplying to trade suppliers for many years.  One of their key products is aprons, they have a huge range of styles, colours, and ethical certifications. 

Our customers

Although we manufacturer and supply bespoke made to order aprons, some of our customers choose stock options because it fits in with their deadline, budget or requirements.  These are quite often premier aprons as they have a range that caters for many requirements.

Ethical

Premier aprons have several styles which have ethical credentials such as Fairtrade, organic or recycled. This is an area that we specialise in, particularly on our other site Cotton Roots.

Premium

If you are looking for something that is more of a premium look, premier aprons have a selection that may suit the style you need such as an artisan, industrial or bistro.

Colours

One of the big advantages of premier aprons is their huge colour range. They have over 60 colours accross all their styles which makes it perfect for someone who needs a small quantity or has a short lead time but needs a Pantone matched colour. 

Apron specialists

If you need to source aprons for your business, we can help you with stock and bespoke options. We supply restaurants, outside caterers, street food chains, hotels, food brands, nurseries and many other business’s . We can help you find the best style and colour for your branding. Contact the design team today on 01908 290482

We supply Aprons in Bulk

Where is started

Traditionally aprons are a piece of clothing that covers the front half of the body to protect the clothing underneath. The word originates from the French word napron, which was a small tablecloth that covered the main table cloth to protect it from food spills.

Aprons today

Today aprons have become about much more than just the protection of clothing, they have become a huge part of the brand identity for businesses, especially in the hospitality and catering sector. Companies order aprons in bulk and then brand them with their logos, they make up part or all of their staff’s uniform.

Bespoke Aprons

At Impact Trading we supply aprons in bulk, these can either be made to order such as Pantone dyed, bespoke style or with specific pockets. By making bespoke you can have branding which is not possible on stock aprons, such as an all over print or an embroidery on a small pocket. Our design team sample the apron before the order goes ahead so we can make sure it is exactly what the customer wants.

Stock Aprons

Impact Trading have a large range of stock aprons in a wide range of styles and colours, there is often a style which suits our customers.  We can arrange samples to be sent out so the customer can check the size, colour and quality.  These can then have branding added such as an embroidered logo or a printed slogan.

How can we help you

If you are looking for a supplier of aprons in bulk, please get in touch with us. We can talk through your requirements and arrange samples, print proofs and embroidery samples before we go into production so you can be completely confident in the product you will be receiving. Call the team on 01908 290482 or email [email protected]

All the Small Things…

Something that we have learnt over the years at Impact Trading and Cotton Roots is that the tiniest of details can make the biggest impact.

One garment that can be brimming with tiny details is our bespoke, made to order aprons. From metal accents and bold colours to tiny stitches and delicate prints, these are the some of the options our design team can offer, to help you find the best way to make your ideas really pop.  

Some of our Antique Brass Eyelets

If an industrial or vintage feel is what you have in mind for your brand, adding rivets, eyelets, poppers or leather could help you achieve this look.

Webbing and fabric straps with metal adjusters. A central line of red top stitching can really change the way denim looks.

Small accents of colour can be added to your designs from bar tacks or contrast stitching. Another way of adding colour to a simple apron could be to have your logo or signature printed onto your webbing straps like Michel and Alain Roux. A striped webbing or printed strap can add a flash of colour to a simple denim apron and adding different fastening such as toggles, poppers or dungaree clips can really make an impact.

One of our most colourful, fully printed aprons.

If plain isn’t really your thing then maybe a pantone dyed apron, or digitally printed apron might be more to your taste like the example above.

It’s the Little Things…

Sometimes the tiniest detail can have a dramatic effect on the way something looks. This is something we have learnt over the years at Impact Trading and Cotton Roots. Our production and design team pride themselves on accuracy and detail which gives our customers the confidence to come back to us over and over again.

These details are something that the design team can offer when developing aprons. For example, a plain apron can be given an industrial look by adding rivets, poppers or eyelets. Tiny accents of colour can be added with coloured bar tacks or contrast stitching or bindings. Leather or suede straps can give a feel of quality and nostalgia to an apron.

If you want your apron to really stand out, then interesting fastenings like poppers, dungaree clips or toggles can be a real talking point.

To see some of the details we have used in the past have a look at some of our aprons

Canvas Versus Twill

When deciding which fabrics to use for our bespoke aprons, the two main choices are canvas or twill. So, what are these weaves and how do they differ?


Canvas

The yarn most used for canvas is cotton. It is a simple plain weave, which means that the warp and weft are woven in a pattern of “over one, under one.” A double filled canvas uses two yarns in the “over under” instead of one.

Generally, canvas uses much heavier threads than other cotton fabrics and so the combination of the plain weave and heavier threads creates a strong fabric that is resistant to snagging, tears and abrasion. The simple, rustic style of the canvas weave is also attractive and combined with it durable qualities, makes it ideal for our aprons.

Close up image of canvas fabric


Twill

Twill describes the weave design, which is more complex. The weave consists of going over one yarn and under two or three. The weave then moves across each row to create a diagonal effect. These diagonal lines are called a ‘wale’. The most common type of weave is a 2/2 twill, which is two warps crossing every two weft threads.

Twill is very tough. It is basically a plain weave with extra yarns added at intervals for extra strength. This makes its very difficult to tear.
One big difference between a canvas and twill is that a canvas is reversible, there is no visible difference between the front and back and this allows for more flexibility when cutting the fabric. Twill has a different front and back. The ‘wale’ pattern being the front.
Jeans are probably the most common example of a twill weave.

Close up image of twill fabric

Conclusion

Whilst canvas fabrics are simple and very durable. Twills are a more complex version, and the appearance is more sophisticated.

Both are perfect for aprons or, in fact any workwear garment. Twill adds that extra bit of interest and durability. The durability will always depend on the fabric weight. A canvas that is 300 grams will be stronger than a 200 grams Twill.

For more information about apron manufacture, and the design of bespoke aprons, click HERE