Hotels |
|
Restaurants |
Cintas
for NYLO Hotels
|
Walt
Disney Entertainment
for Fort Wilderness |
Blade Uniforms
for
Arby's
|
Retail |
|
Service
Organizations |
Superior Uniform Group
for Ben & Jerry's |
Superior Uniform Group
for Walgreens |
Brookhurst,
Inc.
for Mary Kay |
Theme Parks & Arenas |
|
Superior
Uniform Group
for Cincinnati Reds All American Ballpark |
"Winning the 2008
IOY Award in the hotels category is a great honor," says Michael
Mueller, president of NYLO Hotels. "To develop the concept and
styles for our line, NYLO partnered with Cintas and Daniel Vosovic, an
emerging star in the fashion world. This award is confirmation that we
selected a winning combination."
Cintas' program
for Centra Care-Florida included apparel for administrative staff, physicians,
marketing personnel and nurses. Design elements are incorporated into
each piece to complement the rebranding and renovation of their facilities.
"In conjunction
with our rebranding efforts, we wanted to use our apparel program to
create a consistent patient experience throughout our 14 clinics," says
Stacey Blackmon, executive director of sales and marketing at Centra
Care. "The apparel was key to establishing a streamlined identity,
and it positions our staff to be an extension of the Centra Care brand."
Cintas also won for its
full range of designs – from bellman to sommelier – for Silversea,
a luxury cruise line. "Having our employees dressed in an award-winning
uniform program further refines our guests' experience as they
enjoy the beauty and wonders of the ocean," says Alia Abou Asali,
director of purchasing for Silversea.
Designs for Planet Hollywood
included chic ensembles inspired by the red carpet of Hollywood. Featuring
sleek, lightweight blends, garments allow for stretch and comfort while
revealing one of the most exciting looks on the Las Vegas strip.
Superior designed all
job classes and departments within Walgreens to have a consistent, upbeat,
professional look, with fabrics and styles chosen for their durability
and comfort. "How exciting for all of us! There was a lot
of hard work and effort from all sides on this uniform change, and it
is wonderful to see Walgreens setting a standard," says Marji Nelson
of Walgreens corporate purchasing.
Superior's goal
for the Great American Ballpark uniforms was to offer a unique and professional
uniform while still being casual and comfortable in all climates. Moisture
management fabrics, bright athletic colors, and of course a baseball "motif" helped
Superior meet its objectives.
"The uniform program
was designed to emphasize a baseball atmosphere, and it succeeded," says
Don Dierig, spokesman for client Sportservice. [Team Owner] Bob Castellini
set a goal to have fans look around the park and say, ‘Wow, we're
the Cincinnati Reds.' We're excited that over eight months
of planning and effort has paid off with this award."
Bragard Inc. shared first
place in the Casino & Gaming category for the custom-designed uniform
program at MGM Grand Las Vegas Casino, a program developed by CEO Benjamin
Bragard. "This award is a credit to our dedicated research & design
studio," he says, "which is comprised of 30 professionals
armed with a unique creativity and a strong understanding of the requirements
for professional apparel in the hospitality industry."
|
McMakeover!
A long-rumored uniform makeover at the Golden Arches is finally happening – on
the other side of the pond. McDonald's has hired British fashion designer Bruce
Oldfield to redesign uniforms for McDonald's U.K. workforce. Some of the 67,000
workers at the chain's 1,200 U.K. outlets began wearing the new uniforms last
week.
New wardrobes include black suits with white shirts and a tie for male managers,
and a skirt, patterned blouse and scarf for female managers. Line workers will wear
cargo pants, polo shirts in black and caramel, and baseball caps. |
McDonald's workers in Britain model their
new uniforms created by designer
Bruce Oldfield (2nd from right).
Photo credit: Lewis Whyld/PA, The
Guardian |
"The
new uniform reflects how there is now a more up-market feel to
the business. You still have the value meals on the menu but there
are also the premium ones, and these uniforms give a more premium
feel," David Fairhurst, chief people officer of McDonalds' Northern
Europe division, tells Forbes magazine. The only place
a Golden Arches logo shows up in the manager's uniform is
on one of the three tie choices.
Oldfield, who has
designed fashions for Princess Diana and Catherine Zeta-Jones,
among others, took almost two years to finalize the McDonald's
redesign, which is estimated to cost some $5 million.
A long-rumored "hip-hop" makeover
for U.S. McDonald's uniforms has yet to materialize. As long
ago as 2005, McDonald's was reportedly thinking about hiring
design help ranging from Tommy Hilfiger and American Eagle to
hip-hop labels such as Sean John (P Diddy), Phat Farm (Russell
Simmons) and Rocawear (Jay-Z). In late 2006 McDonald's USA issued
a statement saying it was not working on new uniforms. Will the
UK unit's hiring of Bruce Oldfield spur McDonald's to action
here in the U.S.? Stay tuned... |
|
TSA gets
lazy with uniforms – again…
U.S. Transportation Security Administration uniforms were left unsecured
at an O'Hare International Airport checkpoint back in March, prompting
renewed calls for tighter controls over TSA identity wear. A TSA spokesman
told the Chicago
Sun-Times the
items were in an area beyond security checkpoints and were accessible
to the public, and insisted that someone wearing a TSA uniform still
could not get into a secure area without proper identification.
Still, aviation
security experts say such incidents do risk having the uniforms
stolen and used to penetrate airport security. With a stolen uniform, "you
could do anything the checkpoint is designed to protect against," Mary
Schiavo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation inspector general,
told the Associated Press. A Chicago
Department of Aviation document dated March 14 indicated that unsecured
items were found at six O'Hare checkpoints, including multiple
TSA sweaters and jackets, one TSA shirt and a pair of uniform pants.
The incident prompted
Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
to send a letter to TSA expressing "serious
concerns" over TSA uniforms and other gear being left in the
open at O'Hare. "As you know, terrorists have attempted to
impersonate law enforcement and other security officials in order
to gather intelligence, conduct counter-surveillance, and even carry
out attacks," Obama wrote to TSA Assistant Secretary Edmund
Hawley. "Considering the extraordinary security threats our
nation faces every day, reports suggesting that uniforms could possibly
be accessed are wholly unacceptable." |
|
 …as officers prepare to wear a new uniform
As part of TSA's Evolution
of the Checkpoint initiative, TSA officers may soon be wearing
a more police-like uniform. TSA's National Advisory Council
identified uniforms as a major issue among the agency's 43,000
Transportation Security Officers. An independent Uniform Board,
comprised of TSOs and managers from all three TSA regions, was
created to work closely with TSA administrators to recommend changes.
The
board reviewed and developed recommendations on all aspects of
the current uniform – color, appearance, durability, ease of
care and professional image – and presented them to TSA leadership.
The initiative was guided by the basic principle that dress and
appearance should promote esprit de corps within the workforce
while instilling trust and confidence in the public. The new uniforms
could begin rolling out this fall.
Key features of
the new uniform program include dark blue 65/35 poly/cotton blend
shirts that will stay cleaner and be more comfortable for officers;
better-fitting pants with wider belt loops; better-quality ties;
metal badges in place of embroidered ones; and name tags that display officers' last name and rank, allowing
passengers to identify officers more easily. Also, uniform shirts will no longer
feature embroidered TSA logos on the back, improving overall appearance.
Bloggers on the TSA
web site were less than upbeat about the changes:
"Did
nobody think to test the new uniform shirts against liquids?
The slightest amount of wetness drastically changes the color
of the shirt in the places that get wet. The uniforms LOOK better,
yes, but they will look gross 20 minutes into wearing them."
"My dress shirt for service dress blue is also made of
65-35 poly-cotton. It must be ironed before wear or it looks like
total trash. I do not see any sewn-in creases on the new shirt
either, which means that officers will not have any professional
creases on their shirt. You can't take them seriously if they aren't
starched and pressed."
For a 360° view
of the new TSA uniforms, click here. |
|
Industry
gains a big uniform retailer
S&K
Famous Brands Inc., a Glen Allen, VA-based menswear retailer with
220 stores in 26 states, is taking the plunge into the uniforms business,
creating a new division to design and sell uniforms. S&K Corporate
Apparel will offer a wide range of uniforms for the hospitality, restaurant/foodservice
and health-care markets, among others.
"We are good at sourcing clothes," S&K
CEO Joseph A. Oliver III tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "We
have customers who own their own businesses and need different types
of uniforms. We have people to design them, get the company's
approval on the design, have them made and then get them to the employees." Employees
can also get their uniforms altered at any S&K store. "That
makes us different from others in the uniform business," Oliver
says. The company has signed up about 20 accounts so far and expects
to generate about $5 million in annual uniform sales within five years.
S&K Corporate
Apparel will have plenty of company in its mid-Atlantic markets,
according to the Times-Dispatch. Ukrop's
Dress Express is a uniform partnership between James E. Ukrop,
chairman of Ukrop's Super Markets Inc., and his brother, Robert
S. Ukrop. It now has 1,200-plus national accounts since being created
in 1993. Also in the mix for corporate apparel business: TwinHill
Corporate Apparel, the uniform division of The Men's Wearhouse,
which the retailer acquired in 2002. |
|
Superior earnings up
Superior Uniform Group, Inc. announced first quarter earnings from continuing operations
of $914,808 on net sales of $33.3 million (up 15.9%), compared to earnings of $240,488
on sales of $28.7 million for 1Q 2007. "These significant increases were
the result of several new program launches carried over from the second half of
2007," says CEO Michael Benstock. While Superior is pleased with the
results, "the current economic outlook appears more demanding," he
adds. "We are approaching the second half of 2008 with a measured level of
cautiousness." |
|
Imagewear helps lead VF higher
VF Corporation announced first quarter 2008 revenues rose 10% to a record $1.8 billion,
compared with $1.7 billion in 1Q 2007. Income from continuing operations in 1Q
2008 increased 11% to a record $149.0 million, compared with $134.1 million in
1Q 2007.
"Our record results for the first quarter demonstrate the strength
and diversity of the business platform we have built – in brands, geographies,
product categories and channels of distribution," says President and CEO
Eric Wiseman. Total revenues for VF's Imagewear coalition rose 16% in the
quarter, with the acquisition of Majestic Athletic adding $35 million to revenues.
VF's international and
direct-to-consumer businesses continue to drive growth as well, with
international revenues increasing 21% and retail revenues up 24%.
Also at VF, Dan
Hesse, president and CEO of
Sprint Nextel Corporation, has resigned from VF's Board of
Directors to focus on his business commitments. Hesse, 54, was elected
to VF's board in 1999 and served as a member on the
Finance and Compensation Committees. |
|
Record results at UniFirst
UniFirst Corporation announced record second quarter revenues and earnings. 2Q net
income increased to $15.3 million from 2Q 2007 net income of $7.0 million.
In addition, net income for the first six months of fiscal 2008 increased to
$31.8 million from $20.7 million for the first six months of 2007. Revenues
were a record $270.3 million (up 21.6%) and $517.5 million (up 16.4%) for the
2Q and first six months of 2008, respectively. |
|
G&K
makes Mid-Atlantic acquisition
G&K Services, Inc. has acquired the assets of Best Uniform Rental, Inc., a uniform
and facility services company serving customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
The acquisition increases G&K's market share and service network in the
Mid-Atlantic region and will contribute approximately $7 million in annual revenue.
"Best Uniform Rental has been a strong Mid-Atlantic operator for
over three decades, resulting in a solid and growing customer base," says
Richard Marcantonio, G&K chairman and CEO. "Acquisitions remain
one of several key strategic initiatives we're pursuing to further accelerate
revenue growth and drive margin expansion." |
|
|
|
Black is
back in Springfield, MA…
The
city's
police department will once again wear black uniforms in an effort
to curb youth violence. A department spokesman said
the more severe uniforms give criminals a subtle sense of fear and
send the message that officers are serious about making arrests.
The previous police commissioner in Springfield had retired the black
attire to give the department a "softer" image.
…and
in Austin, TX
The Austin Police Department is getting new black uniforms and a
new "retro" black and white paint scheme for its patrol
cars, primarily so people will be able to instantly recognize them
as police officers. Pant legs will no longer have a red stripe
down the side, and patches will change from red to gray and silver.
The uniforms will also help differentiate members of the APD from
workers for other city agencies. |
|
|
Tag-team security?
Casinos often employ high-tech surveillance techniques to spot card counters and
other cheats, but relatively few use these types of sophisticated measures to
monitor, say, hotel linens and uniforms.
But with millions
of dollars of these items walking away from casinos each year,
that could soon change. Casino operators are now inserting tiny
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in everything from gambling
chips to shirt collars and even bed sheets – making
it easier to track and recover the items if they are stolen.
Jeff Markman, president of Norristown, PA-based Positek
RFID, says the tags cost about 75¢ each and last about
five years or 200 washings. Markman says that in a large resort
with 6,000 workers, the chips can prevent $50,000 worth of garment
losses annually. But they can also make employees wary of being
watched by "Big Brother"; some employees won't
hesitate to cut the chips out of their clothing, he says. |
|
|
Color-coded scrubs help ID workers
Doctors and nurses at Lehigh Regional Medical Center in Allentown, PA used to be
able to wear any scrubs they wanted. That changed on April 1 when the hospital
adopted a new uniform policy requiring staffers to wear color-coded scrubs that
help patients, visitors and other staff readily identify which department of
the hospital they work in.
When patients are admitted, they are given a legend of the uniforms
and the staff positions they represent. There are 15 different uniforms,
and each department got to pick its color scheme. |
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