AILEEN’S UNIFORM ATLAS
The Pulse is pleased to introduce Aileen’s Uniform Atlas, a new recurring feature written by Aileen Out.
Out is the owner of Prettybusiness, a news blog in the Netherlands that focuses exclusively on work clothing.

In the past, workwear companies primarily advertised their products through newspaper and trade magazine ads. While this still happens, budgets are increasingly shifting towards online advertising. To truly stand out among competitors, many companies now collaborate with celebrities or influencers. But why focus on someone who mainly reaches consumers when your business is oriented towards other companies?

Celebrities Promoting Aprons

I was just listening to the Modern Retail podcast where Felicity Rodgers, the founder of Cargo Crew, was interviewed. This Australian workwear company has been around for over 20 years, primarily selling aprons. When Gwyneth Paltrow launched her beauty brand Goop, Rodgers immediately recognized her clothing in the photos. She emailed the company to express how pleased she was that they chose her clothing. Soon after, she received a reply asking if she could send aprons for an event where influencers would promote Goop. This action brought significant recognition to the company. Today, Cargo Crew is worn by renowned chefs like Curtis Stone and Mike Reid, as well as celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Dwight Howard.

While celebrities have always leveraged their reach to promote brands, this is relatively new in the workwear industry. This is partly due to the industry’s modesty. Many workwear companies don’t believe consumers will be interested in their collections. However, those same consumers might have contacts or work at companies that are indeed interested. With the internet, the line between businesses and consumers has blurred anyway.

Bringing the Clothing to Life

In the interview, Rodgers mentioned that although companies remain their primary target audience, celebrities and influencers help put Cargo Crew on the map. When a chef prepares a dish on Instagram, people always notice what they are wearing. This can inspire a restaurant owner to purchase a new set of uniforms. Unlike flipping past an ad in a newspaper, online advertisements work differently. Videos bring the clothing to life, and the reach can be immediately measured. Just like the interaction in the form of likes, shares and comments. 

Promoting workwear through celebrities and influencers allows companies to stay close to their brand identity. For example, Blåkläder promotes their clothing through female influencers who focus on DIY projects. The Swedish company emphasizes women in their collections and advertisements, making this a perfect fit. It is a good addition to the videos that companies make themselves and publish on social media. And let’s be honest, there’s no better advertisement than seeing someone work in your workwear, is there?