The Ultimate Guide to Branded Workwear for UK Businesses
As a leading branded workwear provider in the UK, we’ve been able to bring our knowledge together to answer the most asked branded workwear questions. We’re here to provide you with comprehensive answers and insights into the positives of branded workwear, and how it can be transformative for your company.
We’ve provided branded workwear solutions to hundreds of UK companies, receiving volumes of feedback on the quality and comfort of our workwear products, as well as the ease and simplicity of our customer service and ordering process.
We want to provide branded workwear that is perfect for your company. With different products, materials and branding methods, we help you choose the right solutions that will suit the operations of your business and will be popular amongst your employees.
Why Branded Workwear is Important
As a business, you need to stand out. You’re better than your competitors, and you need to explore every avenue to demonstrate that to potential customers. One aspect that has proven to impress is branded workwear.
Firstly, you stand out visually. Customers will know who you are and will recognise your workforce when your workwear is decorated with your brand. You’re identifiable from first glance, proud to display your brand and can be easily isolated from a sea of competitors.
Branded workwear boosts your overall brand image. By maximising the visibility of your brand, it increases the perception of your professionalism, investing in branded workwear that establishes trust and authority amongst potential customers. With employees displaying your branded workwear, it expands the awareness of your brand, impressing the public with the care and attention that you provide to your visual branding.
Don’t underestimate the effect branded workwear has on team morale. By providing your workforce with comfortable, stylish and functional branded workwear, it brings cohesion among your team. With extra attention provided to employee wellbeing and knowledge that the thought of their public appearance is considered, branded workwear for employees brings a sense of community, making them even more proud to represent your company.
Branded workwear is proven to improve customer trust and loyalty. By attending jobs and projects in branded attire, customers feel reassured of the professionalism of your staff and your company. Branded workwear displays your intent of a sharp and clean visual appearance at jobs, with customers having full confidence of your employees being representatives of your company.
By improving trust with customers and providing reassurance of your company’s and employees’ professionalism, this reinforces customer loyalty. Knowing that your customers can approach a business that they can trust and deliver upon their requirements with assurance, investing in your visual workwear merchandising also invests in your public perception and confidence in your company.
Branded workwear also contributes to safety. It can help identify roles quickly, making it simple to distinguish staff, supervisors and even first-aiders in emergency situations. For businesses that deal with cross contamination, designated branded apparel can help enforce these protocols, ensuring that the right uniform is worn at the right time.
Branded workwear is specific for your requirements, meaning that you choose the right product for your industry. If you need clothing to be flame-retardant, chemical resistant, strongly reinforced or even visible in low-light environments, choosing the right workwear package improves the safety of your workforce. With industry specific expectations and the need to comply with health and safety regulations help protect your employees, branded workwear can be designed to meet these standards.
Types of Branded Workwear Explained
Polo Shirts are a great option for retail, hospitality and events, providing you with a smart yet casual look. Polos are a comfortable and breathable workwear option for everyday use, displaying a professional look without seeming too formal. With polo shirts, we would recommend embroidery for small logos to maximise your professional look with long-lasting durability. However, large-scale embroidery can make polo shirts feel heavier and uncomfortable to wear. This is where printing becomes a better option, opening the doors to larger logos and branding on your polo shirts and lighter-fabric garments.
Hoodies and Sweatshirts are a more casual option, great for tradespeople, delivery drivers, warehouse staff and as an alternative for casual teamwear. They’re great in the colder months, providing your team with a warm and comfortable apparel option. Hoodies and Sweatshirts are also more popular with younger staff and are seen more often in casual work environments. For hoodies, embroidery and print can both work well in different situations. With embroidery, it can look great on hoodies as the thicker material is more stable to stitch onto, making smaller logos stand out. However, for big designs and logos, we’d recommend using print. DTF printing for hoodies is most effective, as you’ll benefit from high quality photographic prints, great for large chest or back areas.
Jackets and Outerwear are a fantastic, branded workwear choice for outdoor workers, site managers, engineers and anyone else that requires year-round weather protection. Usually, we’d recommend using embroidery on jackets because print can peel off on waterproof fabrics. Jackets and Outerwear are great for your typical cold, wet and windy conditions in the UK, with there being a range of styles to choose from, such as softshells, fleeces and waterproofs.
Hi-Vis clothing will be your preferred choice for construction, logistics, highways and warehousing, protecting your workforce is any role where safety is critical. Any High-Vis workwear can instantly identify staff, their roles on site and conforms to requirements in many industries to comply with safety rules. Print is usually the preferred option on lightweight High-Vis branded workwear, with embroidery being an option on jackets or fleeces.
With Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), there’s a wide range of products available that opens the possibility for branding. Items such as helmets, ear defenders, rucksacks and facemasks can carry printed logos, advertising your company whilst protecting staff and conforming to safety and professional practices.
In a hurry or unsure what you need?
Choosing the Right Workwear for Your Industry
Different industries have different needs and requirements for personalised workwear. With logo application, longevity and compliance being just a few of the aspects to be considered, you need to ensure you make the right choice for your industry, ordering personalised workwear that will perform to its demands.
For construction and trades, compliance is the most important aspect of your workwear. Meeting regulations and standards, your workwear needs to increase safety measures and be resistant to what can be thrown at your workforce. You need to think about durability – how the material can withstand stress. With functionality also playing a part, your construction workwear needs to include the right features to be appropriate for the job.
If your personalised workwear is for the hospitality industry, you need to prioritise easy-care, stain release garments that can withstand frequent washing. With different options for front and back of house, you want to prioritise comfort for your staff on shift with lightweight, breathable clothing items. With practical details such as pen pockets and concealed fastenings a bonus, personalisation can range from subtle embroidery often seen in premium locations to print for more casual restaurants.
For schools and sports clubs, you want to look at hard-wearing, easy-wash fabrics that’ll survive PE lessons and weekly washing. You’d want to prioritise inclusive sizing, with number or initial personalisation a more popular approach to full names in the interest of safeguarding. Wanting to keep school or club colours and badges consistent across garments, you’d also want to look into bundles to offer children a full range of school sport attire. With the need of continuous re-ordering, guaranteeing stock availability is crucial.
Corporate and office workwear needs to take a variation of other aspects into account. Personalised office workwear needs to align with dress codes and maintain a smart or smart-casual appearance. Brand consistency is vital, ordering workwear in approved brand colours, with logos and taglines in consistent placement. While shirts, knitwear or chinos are great for a polished appearance, you’d want to also consider wrinkle-resistant alternatives for heavy-commuting staff. With a mix of hybrid-working, you might want to consider on-brand hoodies or t-shirts for home working days, whilst keeping inclusivity for all your staff in mind. Sustainable materials can help your company contribute to your sustainable policies, with managed re-ordering and bundles for new starters being an option.
Branding Methods: Embroidery vs Print
Durability
You won’t find better durability on branding methods than what embroidery can offer. It’s extremely hard wearing, with the high-quality of stitching often outlasting the wear of the piece of clothing. You run no risk of colour fading amongst the stitching like you may do with ink alternatives, which presents embroidery as a great solution if your workwear is subject to frequent washing. Something to watch out for, though – areas of clothing that have heavy stitching can sometimes distort the shape of the garment. You need to collaborate with a professional personalised workwear company to you receive the correct advice for embroidering your logo on the right material of clothing to ensure a well-structured finish to your workwear. This makes embroidery a great option for polos, knitwear, caps and fleeces, to just name a handful of options.
Maximising durability for print methods of branding is a more difficult task if you use branded workwear suppliers that only rely on older methods. For example, if you use heat transfers, you risk the edges of your branding lifting and eventually peeling off if it is misapplied. With screen printing, you risk cracking with age and many washes, degrading the appearance of your workwear. However, if printing is your preferred choice, we use direct to film printing (DTF) as a much better alternative to screen printing. It’s a higher quality finish than screen printing, making it more durable. DTF can print full colour designs or images, including gradients. Being a quicker, easier and sometimes cheaper solution, it offers increased durability without compromising on quality.
Finish & Look
Embroidery on personalised workwear gives you a finish that shouts professionalism and quality. It has a premium, textured 3D effect with each thread contributing to a smooth sheen of stitched perfection, enforcing your clean, quality look. Embroidery is a great option for applying logos to garments, cementing your quality on corporate wear and workwear.
Print, however, offers a different type of look. Screen print can offer bold, vibrant solid colours with Pantone matching to ensure accuracy with your brand colours. If you’d rather choose vinyl printing, you’ll benefit from solid, block colours with a result of either a matte or gloss finish. However, if print isn’t applied right, it can appear creased, cracked and even start to peel off – enforcing the need for a professional, quality personalised workwear company to take care of your needs. You can also claim the benefits of photographic detail on larger prints by opting for DTF printing. Being able to print full colour designs including gradient colours, DTF uses water-based ink printed onto a transfer film with an adhesive, to then be heat pressed onto a range of different garments.
Cost-effectiveness
Whether you choose embroidery or print for your personalised workwear, we offer more cost-effective options for larger orders. We have bundles for the same product, or to kit you out with a range of branded workwear for your team.
If you choose print solutions over embroidery, our adoption of DTF printing techniques brings low set up costs – especially for short production runs – whilst still providing a faster, better-quality method over older screen and vinyl printing techniques.
We aim to be as cost-effective as possible. When you order larger volumes or take advantage of our bundles, we’re able to offer benefits such as free logo setup for embroidery, free embroidery to certain areas and/or free UK delivery.
Bundles are great options for your employees. They’re an easy way to quickly provide any new starters with a full range of attire, ready to begin their role. You can also buy individual items in bulk, to either offer your workforce an addition to their branded workwear options, or to refresh their current workwear with brand-new pieces.
If you’re looking for personalised workwear for a large workforce, we provide one of the most cost-effective ways to order in the industry. Bulk ordering unveils opportunity for lower costs, meaning we can charge you less.
Even though we have a vast range of bundles on our website, we want to make sure your exact needs are catered for, and every garment is perfect for you and your workforce. If you have a combination or bundle in mind that isn’t on our website, our team would be glad to discuss any specific enquiries for our embroidered or print solutions.
We also offer a price matching service, taking pride in offering the best value in the industry. If you’ve been provided a lower price through a written quote for identical products to ours by a UK-based supplier, we’ll match it. We are proud to offer the best value products and service in the industry, which is why we regularly compare our prices to competitors to remain competitive whilst offering the best quality of service.
How to Order Branded Workwear
Easy quoting & mock-up system
Getting an online quote for your branded workwear has never been easier, as you’re able to use the method that is easiest for you.
The first option is by getting in touch with our team by calling us on 01628 308810 or emailing us at [email protected]
The second option is to fill out our ‘Get A Quote’ form
which you can be directed to through various points on our website. This allows you to provide a wide range of information so we can give you the most accurate quote possible.
The third option is directly on our product and bundle pages. By selecting your quantity, sizes, colour and customisation, the price updates right in front of you, allowing for an instant quote that can be added straight to your basket.
Our mock-up system makes ordering as convenient for you as possible. A visual mock-up is emailed to you for approval on every order, with embroidery orders including a stitched sample photo to sign off. We want to make sure your order is perfect, which is why you have final sign off. On every proof, we also include an estimated dispatch date so you know when you can expect your branded workwear to arrive.
Minimum order info
At SP Workwear, we don’t have a minimum order quantity. This is a great option for one-man bands and those who want one piece of a range of products without the commitment of buying a large quantity.
If you’ve ordered from us before and you require a new clothing item or size, this is also opportunity to take advantage of us not having a minimum order quantity.
Smaller teams can also take advantage of this, not having to spend a larger amount of money on a greater volume of branded clothing. We want to provide you with quality, branded workwear in the most cost-effective manner.
Lead times & delivery
Our standard turnaround is usually 7-10 working days. However, we do understand that some jobs are urgent, which is why we also provide a fast-track option for the most immediate orders.
There are two main locations where you’ll see the estimated timings for your order. Lead times are always displayed at the checkout process, so you’ll be provided with estimated dates during your purchasing journey. When we send you visual proof of your order to approve, this also includes the estimated dispatch date, so you’re always aware of when you can expect your order to be delivered.
We offer free UK mainland delivery on order over £100. Once you have placed your order of any value, you can also track your order via an online page once it has been dispatched.
Customer Success Stories
Don’t just take it from us – we have a long list of customers who have been absolutely delighted with their branded workwear solutions, who have been kind enough to leave us a review.
Super quick turnaround for a last-minute order. Response time, attention to detail and delivery time exceeded all expectations and the quality of the sports tops ordered were excellent. Highly recommend.
Georgina D.
Just got my uniform from SP Workwear, Steve and the team were nothing but brilliant! Uniform is absolutely perfect, they made sure everything was exactly how I wanted it and kept me in the loop at all times, will definitely continue to use them for future purchases.
David C.
SP Work Wear provided FANTASTIC customer service. Went above and beyond to ensure a speedy delivery and the quality of the product was second to none. Thank you.
James P.
Amazing service. Lightning-fast turnaround. Great product!
Dan S.
SP Workwear have been fantastic – I would highly recommend this business. We shall be returning to them for promotional items in the future, and we have already placed another order for some additional clothing lines.
Michael T.
Really fast turnaround. High quality embroidery. Very happy 😉
Oliver S.
Excellent service, very flexible and personalised. We are a small community organisation and had some t-shirts with our logo printed and aprons for the bike mechanics. We were very happy with the aprons and quality of the t-shirts (eco & vegan friendly). What was particularly helpful [was] Katie’s solution for working out what sizes we needed.
Julie R.
Excellent products, service and value from a company that knows what they’re doing. Friendly staff and updates all the way through the process so I knew exactly what was going on. I will be back when I need more branded workwear for my team.
Simon A.
Brilliant. We were in need of a last-minute, very sizeable merch order as our previous company were letting us down. SP Workwear were incredibly quick at whipping up the designs and smashed the deadline for embroidery and delivery of the garments. We are very happy and just about to order more.
Tok C.
A really friendly and helpful company, they done a great job on our new uniform and used the best quality clothing. We will be using them from now on. Thanks again!
Dan J.
Happy to recommend the company. The embroidery is sharp, clean and very professional. They are so easy to deal with and provide a prompt and efficient service.
Stef P.
Very happy with my new uniform from SP Workwear. The clothes feel top quality and the stitching in the logos is on point. Couldn’t be more pleased. Will definitely be using again.
Dexter Electrical.
SP pulled out the stops to get my order complete earlier than quoted, so I had the workwear for an hour event. Great service, great reply times on emails and all-round good company.
Philip C.
This is the second time I have used the company – I got the order wrong prior to submitting but the company were happy to amend the order – all online but very quick responses to questions – asked for a small service that is not on offer (to write a personal gift message) and that was no problem either – will be a returning customer.
Joanne L.
I ordered 5 t-shirts and they were produced really quickly, to high quality and with great customer service.
Neil E.
Really happy with our workwear from SP Workwear. We have ordered from them twice, and each time we’ve been really impressed with the great communication and speed of service. We love our uniform and are really happy with the end product. Thank you! We will definitely be ordering from you again!
Bombayish.
Wonderful company. Great communication and quality products. I am super happy with my purchase of a woolly hat with a great fleecy lining!
Nicole F.
I used dozens of uniform suppliers over the last 20 years, but these guys are good. Good quality garments, decent embroidery and branding and a quick turnaround.
J Skelding.
We use SP Workwear for all of our merch, but they really pulled a blinder with our Xmas Party gift bags. Great advice, great products and prices and turnarounds to match. Highly recommended.
Chris M.
Exceptional service! Despite my last-minute Christmas order for nearly 200 employees, they went above and beyond to ensure timely delivery. I highly recommend them, as the quality is impeccable and the customer service is even better!
Kammyla A.
Great quality branded workwear makes me stand tall and proud representing/promoting our fresh estate agency brand. We often get great comments from clients and customers. A special thanks to Claire for her excellent customer care and for Steve and the team’s commitment year in and year out. Keep it up.
Alex R.
Used SP Workwear for the first time in August. Although it was quite a small order, they were helpful, friendly, competitively priced and our items arrived ahead of time. We will definitely be using them again.
Debra P.
I recently ordered embroidered Club Polo Shirts and Baseball Caps. It was not an easy embroidery design, but Steven handled it so well and the finished product was perfect. It has been a pleasure to deal with this company, and they will certainly be my first choice for future Club garments.
Ann H.
This was a repeat purchase because SP had done an excellent job for us once before. They did not disappoint this time, delivering a top-quality product on time at a competitive price. I recommend them unhesitatingly.
Brooke W.
Our school ordered some branded workwear for our site team. The service we received was excellent and the quality of the garments was also really good. We were kept informed of the progress of our order throughout.
I would not hesitate to recommend SP Workwear and look forward to working them in the future.
Mr K Jones.
Fantastic support received for a very last-minute order, great service, product – with very happy customer. Thank you
Clive M.
Really top-quality products, great customer service, very helpful with custom embroidery kept in contact through the whole process. Will definitely use again when I need a restock of workwear.
Shane O.
Great company – friendly and responsive team, super quick turnaround, and amazing products quality. And on top of all that, very affordable as well! Would highly recommend!
Mat.
Ordered a workwear bundle for our team. SP Workwear were great, allowing us to swap out items to suit our needs. The clothing was produced on time and is lovely quality. We’re very happy.
Elizabeth H.
We have used SP Workwear for branded clothing for our staff for the last two conferences we have held. The design process is quick and easy, and the items were dispatched really quickly once the design had been approved. Highly recommend.
Glyn A.
The design process was simple and intuitive, ordering was quick and painless, and their team were always fast to respond to emails. Delivery was super quick too!
Highly recommend SP Workwear if you’re looking for eco-conscious, professional workwear with excellent customer service.
The design process was simple and intuitive, ordering was quick and painless, and their team were always fast to respond to emails. Delivery was super quick too!
Highly recommend SP Workwear if you’re looking for eco-conscious, professional workwear with excellent customer service.
Highly recommend.
We also used them to create some branded beanie hats for our Big Sleep Out events - the goods are high quality and we're really happy with them.
Thanks very much for your brilliant customer service and great, high-quality products!
Great service, great reply times on emails and all round good company.
I would not hesitate to recommend S P Workwear and look forward to working them in the future.
I’m always confident to wholeheartedly recommend SP Workwear because their reliability and consistent high quality can be completely relied upon. Thanks for all you help!
It was not an easy embroidery design but Steven handled it so well
and the finished product was perfect. It has been a pleasure to deal with this Company and they will certainly be my first choice for future Club garments.
Thanks so much
highly recommend Thanks guys
Ordered Friday morning - two personalized mugs - such an easy and efficient process. Received high quality with top quality print by Monday lunchtime.
Highly recommended. Two more very happy 'Safe Hands team members' with personalised mugs.
Thanks a lot Steve.
Tony Virgo-Harris
TVH Marketing Solutions
Steve and the team were very efficient and helpful from the start and I would highly recommend them.
Matt from MA. Plastering Services
FAQs
If you’re looking for some quick answers, we’ve assembled some of our frequently asked questions for you to get the answers to the most asked queries, fast.
Can I Order One-Off Items?
Yes. We don’t have a minimum order quantity, which is perfect for the odd extra item, sole-traders or small teams!
How Long Does Embroidery Take?
For embroidery, we usually have a lead time to 7-10 days. We have expected dispatch dates on the checkout page and on the visual proof images we send you, so that you’re always informed to when you can expect your order.
