Interactive Uniform

Having clients in different industry sectors it allows us to see what uniform and workwear is suitable for some scenarios and not others, as functionality is one of the key factors when looking at uniform. It’s unlikely that someone fixing the boiler is going to need to be wearing a tie, if anything it would be inconvenient. Similarly if you were checking in at a hotel and the concierge was wearing a hi-vis jacket and some waterproof, it’s likely that there would be a moment of panic while you scrambled for your booking details; hoping that the taxi driver has dropped you off in the wrong place. Assessing required functionality of garments is something that Uniforms by Creative works with all clients; thinking of pitfalls as well as necessities.

What I am keen to address is actually looking at certain elements of uniforms actually giving customers messages. We feel that uniform can be multi-purpose and can actually engage customers through it. At this stage I feel it’s important to mention that there are some industries that these ideas will not be able to take advantage of them. However, having been to a major UK theme park recently (and as I struggle to fully switch off from work) I was thinking that a lot of the staff’s uniform around the park was a blank canvas for advertising more rides, restaurants etc.

Eg. “Have you taken a ride on the new XYZ”

This could also be extended for social media purposes

Eg. “#bignewride2017”

This type of advertising is at the more basic end of using uniform to interact with your customers; it is of course being utilised by a number of businesses but isn’t as commonplace as it should be. The next solution I am going to look at, may seemed a little farfetched and at the moment would come at quite a cost; however the rate technology is evolving and being innovated I would be surprised to see ideas like this be quite common in certain industries.

Tablets and mobile technology now plays a role in a large number of peoples daily lives in this country. So how could they be beneficial for uniform? A basic concept would be looking at installing tablet or mobile devices into the uniforms to give a truly interactive experience. Looking at the example of the theme park:

• Maps
• FAQ
• What could be good for you - rides, restaurants

As far as futuristic uniform is concerned EasyJet seem to be one of the front runners in the UK. They have recently teamed up with CuteCircuit (The London fashion designer) and launched a new uniform that incorporates LED lighting on their uniform. It is quite ‘out there’ in its thinking, however this uniform is also designed for specific purposes as well.

• Extra lighting in emergency
• Communication (built in microphones)

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/easyjet-unveils-wearable-tech-uniforms-141550878.html