Posts Tagged ‘Leading Corporatewear Company’

Cutting the Cake a Different Way

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Incorporatewear hopes that the morning post will be sweeter than usual for nearly 100 of its current clients and future prospects during March.

As the U.K.’s premier corporatewear supplier, we’re celebrating our presence at the upcoming Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show by despatching a special, mouth-watering, delivery of sumptuous, colourful cup-cakes.

Each recipient will receive a beautiful box of nine delicious cakes which represent the nine circles of Incorporatewear’s iconic logo. We’re sure they’ll turn morning coffee into a very special occasion.

Of course, it’s always nice to give something away, but there’s a serious idea behind the fun.

As the leading UK corporate clothing company, we want you to know that we’re cutting our cake a different way. That’s the message from the way we source garments from global partners, with the highest standards of CSR, to our absolute belief in the importance of design and quality in company clothing,

But with Incorporatewear you can have your cake, eat it and still have something more!

Not only are we sending out cakes but also, inside one special box, will be a gold star for our spectacular competition winner. For that one-in-a-100 lucky prize-winner, we’ve lined up a truly fantastic, dare we say transatlantic, prize. Yes, really! So watch this space for more news.

Cakes will be hand delivered across the country on March 24th, so look out for yours, and please enjoy them with our compliments! Meanwhile we wish you good luck in the competition.
This year’s Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show will be held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 5-6th April 2011, and Incorporatewear can be found at stand WD34.

Virgin Atlantic Uniform

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Incorporatewear, the UK’s premier corporate clothing supplier, has recently been assisting Virgin Atlantic Airways (VAA) in reconfiguring its warehousing operation at their corporate centre in Gatwick.

Incorporatewear’s Operations Manager, Daren Turner, has been overseeing the expansion of VAA’s hub in order to adequately accommodate local stocking needs.

“This is a real win-win situation,” explains Daren, “not only does this help Virgin ensure fast and efficient issue of uniforms but also means our replenishment programme can also be optimised.”

Daren’s comments are echoed by Sally Fairhurst, Head of Uniforms at VAA, who comments that “these changes are going to transform the way we operate and will make the day to day operation easier for both companies.”

Incorporatewear have been managing Virgin’s iconic uniform since late 2010 and, as with all of its clients, looks for innovative solutions to provide the highest levels of service possible.

“We are delighted to have been able to support Virgin in this project,” continues Daren, “and believe that this ably demonstrates Incorporatewear’s breadth of operational skill.”

The transition of VAA wardrobe management has seen major change across the supply chain: from the implementation of bespoke web functionality to operational reconfiguration – all in a day’s work for Incorporatewear.

Showing Up

Monday, February 28th, 2011

This year’s Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show will be again held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 5-6 April 2011.

As you would expect Incorporatewear, as the UK’s premier corporate clothing, uniform and workwear supplier will be exhibiting and can be found at Stand WD34.

“The last year has seen some significant structural changes in the corporatewear sector,” observes Chris Wood, Incorporatewear’s acting Managing Director, “and we’ve seen unprecedented cost increases in raw materials, labour rates and logistics costs across the board, particularly from the Far East. Nevertheless Incorporatewear has risen ably to the challenge, adapted its business model and attracted a number of prestigious new clients. As such we’re very optimistic for 2011.”

Incorporatewear recognises that service and quality remain of paramount importance to its client base and the Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show provides an ideal showcase.

In particular, Incorporatewear will be showing off its latest collections on the catwalk and making the most of what always proves to be a tremendous networking event.

We hope to see you there.

Fully Qualified Corporate Clothing

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Incorporatewear the UK’s premier corporate clothing supplier is pleased to announce that Alison Kirk has become a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

Alison, a supply chain manager, studied in her spare time for nearly three years to gain the UK’s top professional qualification in procurement.

Now, after a gruelling three-stage assessment process and final exam, she is a fully-fledged member of CIPS.

Her success strengthens Incorporatewear’s procurement team, which sources clothing worldwide to supply the corporate wardrobes of many of Britain’s biggest companies, including, Virgin Atlantic, Nationwide Building Society & Premier Inn.

“I am absolutely delighted,” said Alison, who will officially graduate in July at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. “I’ve had to put in a huge amount of effort to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become a recognised procurement professional. It has been a massive challenge while working full time and looking after my young family.

“But it has been absolutely worthwhile. I have learnt so much that I can put into my work at Incorporatewear. For our clients, my qualification shows we are using best practice when sourcing and managing our supply chain. It gives me access to the latest news and techniques in our profession from around the world, so I can contribute to keeping Incorporatewear at the forefront of supply chain innovation.”

Incorporatewear Inside Corporate Clothing Operations

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Incorporatewear’s operations department is one of the many core functions that ensure the successful delivery of our corporate clothing programmes.

This week it is Daren Turner’s opportunity to open the doors to Incorporatewear’s operations team.

Visit the Incorporatewear corporate clothing website for the full story.

Sizing the Modern Employee

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Garment sizing is one of the most challenging issues facing corporate clothing suppliers and buyers today, and it’s one that Incorporatewear takes very seriously.

Wearers demand style, practicality and, of course, fit and we must address a range of factors when designing corporate clothing including global size differences, maternity wear and obesity. And we have to make it easy for wearers to get the right fit first time.

Obesity
As the shape of people changes, we develop design strategies to adapt. In our design studio, we have an array of mannequins with a whole range of different specifications. These help us adjust the styling of garments to suit anyone from a slim, petite size six to a more rounded size 30.

Global sizing differences
In our experience, a “one-size-fits-all-countries” approach to tailored wear won’t work. Our solution is to supply garments in petite, regular and long fittings as well as a wide choice of sizes. For many clients, we also offer a selection of garments within overall corporate wardrobes letting wearers choose from different styles, fabrics and sizing to increase the range of garments that suit them.

Maternity
Maternity is a factor that we take into account at the design stage of developing a new range. We offer styles that allow for the expansion of waistbands and ensure that maternity garments work alongside the rest of the corporate wardrobe. We want the expectant mother to be comfortable and to feel part of the team, not isolated in an oversized ‘tent’.

Online Ordering
Most of the items returned to clothing companies are due to size issues so we try to ensure our wearers get it right first time. Communication is vital so we issue “how to” guides, measuring packs including tapes and size charts, and DVDs. We hold workshops on self-measurement, and we provide a home measuring service. We regularly survey all the main retailers’ size charts and adapt our sizing books so that our sizes reflect what our wearers are used to on the high street. We also provide bespoke measuring guides to help wearers get the best fit for comfort and shape and we’re proud that our rate of “returns for fit” is well below the rate of the typical consumer mail-order clothing business.

If you have any sizing or garment fit related questions please contact us on 0844 257 0530 or info@icwuk.com

Corporatewear: Looking Forward

Monday, January 31st, 2011

As the high street begins to display their spring/summer collections Paula Cannon, Design Manager at Incorporatewear, discusses which key fabric trends are likely to cross over into the world of work in 2011 and beyond.

Driven by inspiration from designer collections, knits are high on the agenda with classic, stylish knitwear moving into corporate wardrobes. At Incorporatewear, we are taking this a step further and combining knits with bold prints, and offering our customers printed knits – a very adventurous move for corporate clothing.

In menswear we are getting more adventurous with fabrication too and are planning to introduce hi-sheen fabrics with styling trimmed down to a neater silhouette.

There was plenty of lace, faux fur and velvet gracing the fashion weeks for Winter 2011 and although fur and lace may not hit the work wardrobe any time soon, I certainly wouldn’t rule out seeing velvet in some specialised corporate wardrobes.

Concern for the environment has lead to the development of more eco friendly fabrics. We have sourced fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles, hemp, corn, milk and even seaweed.

Although it is early days for these fabrics in corporate clothing, Incorporatewear already supplies a fleece made from recycled plastic bottles to national bus company Stagecoach, and our designers have created a library of everything from recycled sportswear and suiting to buttons and linings and we can now offer our customers a complete wardrobe from recycled materials.

Another growing trend in corporate clothing is the use of technical fabrics. Incorporatewear’s clothing has been revolutionised by nanotechnology. Nano-Tex allows clothing to become stain resistant without changing how clothes feel. Spilt liquids like wine, juice, coffee and salad dressing bead up and roll straight off the garment. It offers minimal creasing in tailored suiting.

A “bionic” suit based on this fabric, which we expect to continue to gain in popularity. It offers a smart tailored look, it’s lightweight, stain resistant and offers great crease recovery. Fabrics that can create a price advantage through long life will be more attractive as organisations continue to fight the economic challenges.

Inside Corporate Clothing Incorporatewear Design & Technical

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Paula Cannon has managed Incorporatewear’s design team for over ten years. After studying fashion, design and knitwear at the Royal College of Art, she worked in retail fashion design in Ireland before moving to the UK and a career in corporate clothing.

Click on the link below to find out a little bit more about how Paula creates stunning corporate clothing and workwear for Incorporatewear.

Inside Corporate Clothing – Incorporatewear Design & Technical

or Visit

http://www.incorporatewear.co.uk/workstyle_lifestyle/read/inside_corporate_clothing_-_incorporatewear_design_technical

Corporate Clothing Experts Incorporatewear Supply Recycled Fleece

Monday, December 20th, 2010

Corporate clothing experts Incorporatewear supply fleece jacket made from recycled plastic bottles to the UK transport group Stagecoach.
A fleece jacket made from recycled plastic bottles and supplied by Incorporatewear to the UK transport group Stagecoach has been hitting the headlines.
Newspapers and magazines across the country featured the story as Stagecoach included the “green” garment in its corporate clothing wardrobe.
Incorporatewear designed and sourced the fleece, which is manufactured from a core fabric of recycled polyester, the plastic commonly used in making bottles and containers.
Chris Wood, Incorporatewear Director, said: “This is an exciting project, and the media interest it has generated has publicly demonstrated Stagecoach’s genuine commitment to the environment. Although this kind of garment is the exception rather than the norm in the corporate clothing market at present, it is clear that sustainability will become an increasingly important aspect of corporatewear procurement.”
Incorporatewear supplies corporate clothing for 14,000 Stagecoach employees.
The transport company has made a commitment to become a “greener” sustainable business.
Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus Les Warneford said: “Sustainability is at the heart of our business. As well as working hard to attract more people out of their cars and on to our greener, smarter bus services, we also have a responsibility to become a greener business ourselves. This project is a great example of the benefits of recycling.”
Earlier this year, Stagecoach Group was awarded the prestigious Carbon Trust Standard after taking action on climate change by measuring and reducing its carbon emissions.
Corporate Clothing Supplier Incorporatewear

Inorporatewear Strengthens Global Sourcing Teams

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Corporate clothing company Incorporatewear has appointed Mark Helders as Sourcing Manager to develop its worldwide network of garment and fabric suppliers.

With 30 years’ experience in garment manufacturing, he will be responsible for ensuring suppliers meet the company’s corporate and social responsibility standards.

He joins Coleshill-based Incorporatewear after a number of senior technology roles in garment supply companies and retail organisations, including Marks and Spencer.

Mark said: “Incorporatewear is a forward thinking company with a firm focus on outstanding customer service. Sourcing globally, including close to home, is crucial so that we can provide our customers with quality fabric and garments as well as flexibility on lead times, order quantities and price.”

Originally from Sheffield, he studied men’s tailoring at Jacob Kramer Clothing College and began his career as a pattern cutter. Most recently, he worked as a technical consultant in Romania for a UK ladies’ tailoring company.

Out of the office, Mark is a nationally qualified kickboxing instructor with a first degree black belt.

His appointment follows a number of new account wins and extended contracts for Incorporatewear, including Virgin Atlantic and easyJet.