DRESS FOR SUCCESS WITH CORE PERFORMANCE WORK WEAR
Dressing right for the job means more than a blue blazer and shelving the white shoes after Labor Day. It's helpful to think of yourself as an “Occupational Athlete,” with the skills, training, tools, and motivation to get the job done right. Just like well-paid athletes, whose uniforms are designed to look professional and optimize performance, high performance work wear may be more than a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt from the top of the laundry pile.
SWEAT THE DETAILS
Let's start with a few details. Pigs don't sweat. They can't because they don't have sweat glands—which is why they keep cool by wading in streams or rolling in the mud. This approach is also effective for people, but tends to look unprofessional on larger job sites. The larger point remains: sweating is good! Work and sweat go together like smoke and fire, and lightning and thunder. In fact, if you are working hard and not sweating, you may not be drinking enough water! The key is to manage the perspiration effectively, by venting it or wicking it away from your skin where it can evaporate, cooling your body and keeping you comfortable.
STAY DRY TO STAY WARM
The same thing is true for work in colder weather, when we still sweat, but need to wick that moisture away from the skin in order to stay warm. Unless your name is 'Lindsay', 'Britney', or 'Paris', this means a thin base layer next to your skin which transports the moisture to the mid and outer layers. These other fabrics also trap warm air to provide insulation. Peel off or unzip a layer if you start getting too hot; layer on another if you’re getting chilly.
NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER'S POLYESTER
Most high performance garments today are made from technically advanced synthetic materials shaped, formed, and spun into super-fine, high-tech fibers. Then these fibers get more treatments than a starlet in a Hollywood rehab clinic to resist stains, odors, and more. Some of the fabrics even provide UV protection when worn alone or as an outer layer. The result is an engineered fabric designed to work as hard as you do
FIT, FEEL, AND COVERAGE
None of this matters a hoot if workers won't wear them. Performance garments have to fit well, move with the worker, and provide coverage even when bent w-a-a-a-y over. Seams can't stack up under harnesses or tool belts. The clothes need to be low maintenance (dry cleaning is not an option), hold up to hard work and challenging conditions. And they have to look and feel good. Well designed, well fitting, high performance work wear helps you feel good, look professional, and stay focused on the job at hand all year 'round.