How to make branded workwear survive a construction site

Site workwear takes a beating that office polo shirts never see: industrial washing, dust, fuel, sun and daily wear. Branding chosen for a boardroom does not survive it.

Choose the method for the wash, not the sample

Everything looks good on the day it is delivered. Screen printed plastisol, properly cured, is still legible after a season of industrial laundry. Cheap heat-applied vinyl on a work overall will crack across the fold lines within a couple of months.

Placement decides survival

A logo across the chest of a conti-suit sits exactly where a harness or seatbelt rubs. Moving it to the upper chest or the back doubles its life for no extra cost. Sleeve badges outlast almost everything because nothing rubs against them.

Do not brand over reflective tape

It happens more than it should. Printing across hi-vis tape kills its retroreflectivity, which is the entire purpose of the garment, and it will not survive the wash either. Branding goes around the tape.

Order sizes you will actually need

Take sizes properly rather than guessing from a headcount, and order a buffer in the common sizes. Crews change. Being able to kit out a new starter the same week matters more than the small saving on a tighter order.

Keep your artwork on file with the supplier

A repeat order should be a phone call. If your supplier cannot reproduce last year's garments exactly, you end up with a crew in two slightly different uniforms, which looks worse than no branding at all.