January / February 2007

Meet the Editor, Jay Gordon

Uniforms rising

If you take only one thing from this first issue of Uniforms, I want you to hear the message conveyed by Avidere’s Roberta Hughes and other members of our Editorial Advisory Board (see p. 62). In a nutshell, she sees a trend across almost every vertical market to view uniforms more as an investment, and less as a cost – as an integral part of a company’s marketing, not just the most economical thing we can get our employees to wear.

This is a dramatic shift in mindset, and it is causing companies of all kinds to increase their uniform investments. Read the headlines. Companies like McDonald’s, Wal-Mart and virtually every airline and hotel chain on the planet are all busy with the work of designing new uniforms. And they have plenty of company.
Hughes believes this is significant because when the “big boys” step up to the plate in terms of their uniform program, it’s only a matter of time before others follow.

There are other factors contributing to this sense of optimism.Virtually everyone agrees that the pendulum swung too far in the direction of casual dress, and now it is swinging back toward a more professional, polished appearance. And there is growing evidence of a link between how we dress and how we perform. Hughes tells a fascinating story about a software developer she worked with. The company had two divisions, one that enforced a dress code and one that did not. The one whose employees came to work in (exceedingly) casual dress turned out products with an exponentially higher number of “bugs” than the other division. A coincidence? Hughes thinks not.

I believe our board members have seized upon an important truth: that we are entering a Golden Age of uniforms – maybe the Golden Age – driven by a growing appreciation of the value a uniform provides to the wearer and to the organization.

It is a truth that should motivate you, no matter what letters or numbers – Advertising Specialty Institute, National Association of Uniform Manufacturers & Distributors, or Uniform & Textile Service Association – you affiliate yourself with. It doesn’t matter whether you are a uniform supplier, a traditional uniform distributor, a promotional apparel distributor or a buyer. The wave of investment that is beginning to sweep the uniform market is a wave we all can ride.

The uniform market is a dynamic business, and the pace of change has been ratcheted up considerably. Corporate branding strategies take on new importance in this era of consumerism. Performance fabrics will continue to have a profound impact. Specific segments have unique needs that require market-specific garments – and marketing.

We have covered these issues and many more in a credible way in this issue. But nearly as important to me is that we’ve made this magazine fun to read. I can’t wait to get started on the next issue – and I hope when you’re done reading this one, you’ll feel the same way.

Jay Gordon
cmittica@asicentral.com