I’m about to buy some more work clothes which I want to brand.
I’m trying to decide if I want t-shirts with silk screened logos, hiking shirts like a Columbia or North Face since they breath really well and are quite comfortable or something else.
I want mine to be:
What’s your favorite work clothes?
My first suggestion would be to contact your potential screen printer and see what their source is. My screen printing source had his own supplier which is SanMar. He will not print on any materials that he does not get from his distributor, because if there is a problem with the screening process and the image comes out wrong/messed up, he has to purchase new material and if it is at a retail cost because the wholesale distributor does not stock that item, the retail purchase may negate any profit margin for the job and not make it financially feasible for the printer, which they will then decline to do the job at all.
I purchased the loose “compression” style fabric, something similar to Under Armour’s Heat Gear. (which ironically named, is designed to keep you cool. I get how it means gear for the heat, rather than gear that retains or generates heat, but the juxtaposition can be confusing. I digress.)
So my work shirts are a loose 100% polyester 3.8oz shirt. The fabric weight has to do with the weave and breath-ability, not the physical weight. The lighter the oz, the cooler and more breathable, but also potentially thinner and more see through when wet, especially when it comes to cotton blends. These shirts are not see through even when wet and they wash really well to remove daily work dirt stains. My main work shirts are crew neck t-shirts, though I also purchased a few polos from the same line with a dri-mesh weave for when I go and give bids when I am not actively working on another job site. Just to give me a more clean and professional, put together, look when meeting potential clients.
You may want to think about colors not only for branding, but also for your environment. Here in Central Florida it is sunny and above 80ºF 9 months out of the year. So a lightweight, light colored shirt keeps you cool. My previous employer had us wear white cotton polos, but these would get filthy when we pressure washed and often took multiple washings with bleach, detergent, oxi-clean, etc to get them back to a presentable state and all of those chemicals/soaps degrade the fabric so they wear out and eventually rip. My primary business colors in my logo and emails, etc., are blue and white, but my work shirts are a sand/tan color in order to hide as much dirt as possible without using a dark color which absorbs the sun’s heat.
The polyester shirts I have stretch significantly, but are more form fitting while still being loose so they don’t hang off of me in a way where they typically get snagged on anything.
Pants or shorts are also more of a climate thing as well. Even in December, I only wear long pants when the morning temperature is around 40ºF, but by mid day it’s back up into the 50’s or lower 60’s and I am back into my shorts. As far as durability, the top 3 work clothes companies are going to be Dickies, Carhart, and Duluth Trading Co. Dickies are readily available at almost every Walmart and on Amazon, Carhart can be found at local suppliers, especially ones that focus on either farm or construction wear like Tractor Supply, Northen Tool, etc. Darker color pants will hide more dirt, especially if you tend to wipe your hands on your “sweet ass napkin pants” rather than a towel.
Contrasting colors always are visibly appealing, so a light shirt with darker pants or vice versa. White shirt with white pants are usually only good for painters, and I don’t really know why. But a navy shirt and navy pants makes you blend together into a blob of color. It can work with logos and/or patches and accouterments like police/fire uniforms are the same color with top and bottoms, but a clear contrast is going to give you the “Stylish” look you want.
This is excellent info.
Thank you very much!