Women Gear Up with Blåkläder’s Workwear for Women

Historically, women working in construction fields, including fencing, have had to fit in to men’s-sized construction gear because that’s all that was available.

It was never an ideal solution. Items designed for men tend to have the wrong shape and size for women. Often there's too much material, which makes the workwear and safety equipment more difficult - and potentially dangerous - for women to wear.

Fortunately, that scenario is changing. With more and more women entering the construction workforce, Blaklader has responded to the increasing demand for properly fitting workwear for them.

With roots firmly planted in the heartland of the Swedish textile industry, Blaklader has a long and proud history of clothing production for both fashion and industry. After more than 60 years in the business, the family-run company has gained a deep understanding of how to produce clothing.

“Although the working trade industry has long been dominated by men, there is absolutely no doubt that women are entitled to the same options concerning workwear,” says Taylor Tindall with Blaklader North America.. “We can proudly state that we offer complete women’s collections in all occupational categories.”

“Early in my career, I personally had been known to duct tape my gear to keep it on,” says Deb Hilmerson, president and CEO of Hilmerson Safety. “Now, I’m happy to promote the Blaklader quality workwear line shaped for women that even includes maternity pants!”

Blaklader believes listening to the needs of the end-user is vital when we are developing any type of clothing and has been a big part of the popularity of their women’s workwear. “Feedback from women who have tried the workwear allows us to go further in terms of quality, function and fit,” says Tindall. “We are constantly working to develop and broaden the range of all of our products, and with regard to women, the opportunity is great. We are only on the starting compared with what is to come. However, I also want to emphasize that when a new product is launched it must be well planned, evaluated and meet all the requirements expected of it, which can take time.”

When it comes to creating workwear for women, Blaklader says there are some specific challenges. There are important certifications for some types of garments in order for the end customer to be able to use them for work. High visibility garments are, for example, often too large and wide for women, but in order for the garment to be certified, it is not just a case of removing a fluorescent surface to make it narrower. The challenge is to find creative solutions that meet end-user needs and expectations. In the case of wide, high visibility garments, Blaklader added an elastic band with a drawstring at the bottom in order to prevent them being too wide and still meet safety requirements.

Another challenge – different body shapes. While it’s a fact that men and women have different body shapes, there are also a wide variety of different body types among women. “It may make our job in providing workwear for women more challenging, but it’s important for us to address this in our products,” explains Tindall. For example, an important detail in our new high visibility collection is the trouser waistband. We have added an elastic waist feature that allows the trousers to be more adaptable to different body shapes.”

Forklift driver Kristin Pettersson served as a test pilot for Blaklader, trying out the company’s high visibility collection. ”No body is the same as another, something I think that most suppliers of workwear for women have missed. Blaklader’s garments fitted me like a glove. All the clothes were very comfortable and I have no doubt that other women in the construction field will think the same.”

Apart from fit, Blaklader does not make any distinction between men and women when it comes to work clothes. “Everyone would agree it is no fun to work a whole day in clothing that doesn’t feel comfortable, often in a harsh environment that only adds to the discomfort of ill-fitting clothes,” says Tindall. Our goal is to produce workwear for women that provides the same comfort and functionality the guys already have.”

Blaklader’s U.S. office is located in Sarasota, Florida. Learn more at www.blaklader.com.