Since the medieval ageswhen man went for hunting, need for work wear came into existence. What are thecurrent trends, market, and future of this attire?

Dress codes are unwritten, andare accepted as an important aspect of human appearance. Over the past decade,corporate wear has become a vivacious sector, representing an enormous market. Theumbrella of Corporate wear is broad, and consists of:

  • Ordinary office wear consisting of cheap and durable overalls, trousers, and shirts.
  • Corporate wear designed specifically for the working business class emphasizing on color and design. This includes uniforms for the corporate sector as well.
  • Protective clothing for working in different kinds of environment for manual labor positions. These garments are made of special fabrics, or ordinary fabrics with special coatings such as acid proof, fire proof, bullet, heat and chemical proof fabrics.

 

Market for Corporate wear:


Current market for corporate wearis estimated to be worth $10 billion in annual sales. Of this workwearcomprises to be 45%. Corporate wear are used to motivate employees, enhancecustomer relations, and build brands. Work wear consists of four separategarments; shirts, jackets, trousers, and skirts. Media and globalization havebrought about a rapid transformation to these outfits. Mushrooming growth ofnumerous multi national, and corporate companies, have fuelled the developmentof this clothing.

Retail sales of corporate wearconsist of suits, skirts, jackets, and trousers. The dividing lines of casual wearand corporate wear are becoming more blurring with the span of time. In somecountries, in big corporates, the employees are given an allowance to get theiroutfits from mass market retailers. Market is highly fragmented in terms ofsuppliers. Some specialist national companies and few global players dominatethe segment.

Trends for Corporate wear:


Getting dressed to office doesnot mean to leave ones personal style behind. Dressing according to onesindividual choices, along with a professional, and polished look will give acompetent image. Current trends of the corporate world encompass a professionallook with minimal color patters, and stiff fabrics. Appealing fashion trends,both stylish and elegant, are brought into the corporate world. For someone,who wants to look fashionable, and also professionally dressed, fashion bringsin a more work appropriate, and job friendly attire than every before. Withmany companies tightening the casual dress code, fashion is changing even morequickly, taking new dimensions every now and then.


Skirts have made a come back in abig way. Pencil skirts make excellent outfits for office, and goes with almostanything from a long sweater, belt or a shirt. Other types can be tricky andwill work out with creativity, and individuality.


The business color paletteindicates shades which also communicate the wearers personality. Red showsaggressiveness, navy displays trustworthiness, gray; a conservative image, andblack, a chic illustration. These traditional colors remain in the corporatesector always, and mix well with the other accessories. Feminine colors likeice blue, soft pink, ivory, and lilac will also be in style.

Market for Protective wear:

Immense opportunities are available in the protective wear segment. Global market for protective wear is estimated to be around $12 billion USD, with Europe and US accounting for 80% of the total market. Growth drivers for this segment include; increasing safety concerns, more technical innovations, legal enforcements regarding work wear, and growth of industries where such type of clothing is mandatory. East Europe and Asia make a potential market for protective clothing. Economies in the Asian countries are growing stronger, which shows positive signs for protective clothing market.


Abundant availability of labor in China promises a profitable market for protective wear. With more number of Western countries having their production base in China, the country is facing added pressure regarding labor issues, safety, and health concerns from the former. Most of the Western companies that deal with China have well established codes of ethical practice for the same. China itself is a major manufacturer, and distributor of protective wear, world-wide.


A wrong choice of clothing can be a career killer. It is more important to create a good impression in the minds of others with whom we are obligated to work with, and avoid falling into fashion pitfalls at the same time.


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