What Suits You?

The arrival of October means the last warm breezes of summer have gone, spring 2014 fashion shows have wrapped up and you have settled into fourth-quarter selling. It also means that restaurants and catering companies are entering their busiest time of the year, with weddings and holidays dominating business until 2014. Busy is good for revenue, but messy for uniforms. Come Jan. 1, your clients will need new aprons, chef hats and button-ups. Here are eight ways to spot uniforms that will last through 2014.

1. Some end-buyers are open to new ideas, but not all are.

Some of your clients may be willing to shift the styles and colors of uniforms from year to year, but some won't even consider it. "It really depends on what the company is looking for, what their colors are and whether they can stray away from the color of their brand or not," explained Ashley Adams, marketing coordinator for S&S Activewear and Americana Sportswear, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. For example, unisex styles might be all the rage with a restaurant, but uniforms for a boutique hotel may want to adapt trends by using feminine silhouettes.

2. A uniform needs more than one garment.

Once you figure out what your client is looking for, consider each job at your client's company and the different garments needed for each one. Pam Pennington, national accounts manager for Aprons Etc., Greenville, S.C., pointed out that uniforms rarely consist of just a shirt or just a hat. Your client's employees need a full outfit, so sell it to them. "Uniform garments provide a good and consistent reorder sales opportunity," she remarked. "Generally, when used as a uniform, a single user will be provided multiple garments instead of a single garment when used as a promotional product."