So what clothes are we talking about here? Suits – as in shirt, tie, jacket and trousers/skirt – are the ultimate formal dress, particularly in business. But suits, by their very nature, are individual items of clothing, tailored specifically to fit the wearer. So for branded or promotional corporatewear, such as uniforms, key elements of a suit, such as the woven shirt and tie combination, are taken and adapted to give a smart image across the company.

The continuing trend towards more casual clothes in a formal setting means that now, corporatewear is just as likely to include chinos and polo shirts as blazers and ties. Corporatewear can also encompass other items of clothing that reflect a company's image, and that includes jumpers, outdoor jackets and even headwear in some cases.

In short, corporatewear is the smart clothes you can expect to be worn in formal environments such as the office, business meetings, corporate events or public service industry settings such as hotels, banks or airlines. "It is about presenting a uniform, business-like appearance," says Nicola Lockhart of Henbury, adding: "For staff morale, a business-like uniform can arguably improve staff performance."

History

It seems that formal wear has been getting ever more casual for the last few centuries. Apparently the tailcoat, which is the nineteenth century forefather of the modern suit, was originally designed just to 'lounge' in. Throughout the twentieth century, the suit was largely recognised as the formal wear of choice, particularly for businessmen. In the latter half of the century, businesswomen began wearing a tailored suit with a skirt instead of trousers. It has been hugely influential on business wear and staff uniforms and continues to be dominant in the city, sales and client facing roles, and in office environments.

In recent years, the 'smart casual' look has become increasingly popular. The term 'smart casual' or 'business casual' as the Americans call it, grew out of the dotcom boom of the 1990s and the stereotypical image of web entrepreneurs who made their millions from their bedrooms without necessarily grafting their way up the corporate ladder.

Uses in promotional wear

Uniforms

Branded corporatewear is the clothing staple worn by frontline staff in service industries such as hotels, airlines, restaurants and bars, high street stores and banks.Woven shirts, jackets, ties and trousers/skirts are often based around the company's corporate colours, for mass-wearing by its staff. However, polo shirts, quality T-shirts, sweatshirts, and chinos are becoming increasingly popular in this market, particularly in the less formal settings of shops and café bars.

The style that a company chooses to dress its workers in seems to depend on the industry. Forward-thinking or 'trendy' industries such as media, new media, the music and entertainment businesses seem to embrace the casual look, whereas more traditional environments such as financial and legal institutions, corporate hospitality and civil service, favour the traditionally smart look.

'Smart' leisurewear

Some of the markets where tees and polo shirts are the branded clothing of choice, such as sports clubs and societies, will sometimes require more formal attire. A T-shirt just won't do at a social evening or awards ceremony. In these cases a more formal branded clothing, such as a jacket or woven shirt, may be required.

Styles and fabrics

Woven shirts

The classic Oxford shirt is the key woven shirt in this market, and the term 'Oxford' is defined by the weave of the fabric. The warp has two fine yarns paired together, while the weft has one heavier, softly spun fill yarn, which gives the fabric a basket weave look. Many manufacturers add performance finishes to make it easy to care for. The shirts traditionally button down and have a left chest pocket. They are usually available in long and short sleeves.

Stretch shirting is increasingly popular for men and women and is often worn by staff in bars and cafés. The fabric is usually a 97/3 cotton/elastane mix or similar.

Checked shirts, another common option, can prove tricky from a garment decorator's point of view as the coloring and size of check needs to be taken into account.Woven shirts are usually cotton or polycotton mixes for durability.

Trousers

Trousers in this market are commonly chinos, or similar. Made from 100% cotton, chino cloth is a form of twill fabric, and this style often has pleat fronts. Many formal trousers in uniforms will be an easy to care for polyester mix and will often have a crease down the front of each leg, a waistband, belt loops and a zip fly. Trousers may be coated with substances such as Teflon for stain resistance.

Ties and scarves

Neck ties are a popular brandable item of clothing for formal occasions and have traditionally been used to denote membership of a particular club or society by their colour and pattern. Ties and scarves can be embroidered or even printed on (depending on the fabric used - check with your supplier first).

Jackets

There are many variations on the blazer-style jacket, which forms part of a suit. Single breasted jackets are more common than double-breasted, and in uniforms, the breast pocket is often a good place for branding.

Jackets in this market are often made from a polyester fabric to make them hardwearing, and are lined for comfort. They'll often be tailor made in the company's corporate colours. More casual or performance jackets can also be used in formal outdoor settings (see previous article for technical details).

Knitwear

A V-neck knitted jumper or tank top is still popular in many uniforms, despite the temptation to use a more technical fabric such as polar fleece. The classic, traditional look of knitwear is still popular. Yarns may be pure lambswool but are more likely to be a polyester that is more hardwearing and easy to care for. Knitted tops are usually embroidered, on the left breast area.

Price points

Because corporatewear is all about presenting an image, not to mention the fact that it's likely to get a lot of wear, quality is key. Therefore items are likely to be priced accordingly. Other factors may affect price, such as: style and special features – like additional tailoring; fabric – the technical features and variety of technical fabrics used in the construction of the garment; and size and quantity – generally, larger sizes tend to cost more than smaller sizes and larger orders benefit from a lower unit price compared with smaller orders.

Trends

The trend for less formal corporatewear continues. According to a recent survey*, the majority of employees wear either business casual or casual outfits to work, indicating that more companies are relaxing office dress codes. "Suiting is arguably management clothing and separates the levels in an office," says Lockhart.

"However, there is a current trend for casual wear to be the new officewear and with casual Friday and smart polo shirts now acceptable in the office they could also be considered suitable corporatewear." A heated debate arose last summer when many men were sweating in their suits in soaring temperatures while women were able to get away with cooler garments. If summers continue to be as hot as last year, it may be that 'dressing down' may prove to be a practical as well as fashionable trend.

Sizing

While suits are still tailored to fit the wearer, corporatewear in general follows a similar sizing structure to leisurewear.Woven shirts and jackets are usually measured by chest size, trousers by waist and occasionally inside leg measurement. See previous articles for general sizing equivalents.

Brands

The following brands (in no particular order) supply corporatewear to the promotional market:

Front Row
Fruit of the Loom
Hanes
Henbury
Kustom Kit
Pashimi
Premier
Regatta
Result
Russell Collection

^{*Yahoo! Hotjobs and Banana Republic}

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