Womens workwear made by women

How do things currently look for women in the sector? 
We currently see a clear trend in the industry where more and more women are choosing to work in skilled trades. The business area has long been dominated by men, but there is no doubt that women, despite their minority, are entitled to the same opportunities when it comes to work clothing.

What does Blåkläder get from broadening its network of women active in the skilled trades?
Listening to the needs of the end-user is vital to us when we are developing garments. Of course we can design and develop new products, but with additional feedback from the women in the recruitment campaign, we are able to go further in terms of quality, function and fit. I really want to emphasise that the women will be of considerable significance in our future focus on work clothes for women. 

What can the female end users expect from the Blåkläder women's collection in the future?
We are constantly working to develop and broaden the range for all skilled trades and with regard to women I dare say that we are currently only on the starting blocks compared with what is to come. The future looks bright to say the least. At the same time, we are very keen not to rush new products out. When a new product is launched it must be well planned, evaluated and meet all the requirements expected of it, which can take time.

What are the challenges in the development?
There are areas in the development of women's garments which are made difficult due to important certifications that are a requirement 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 the garment narrower. The challenge is to find creative solutions that meet end-user needs and expectations. In the case of wide high visibility garments, we have for example with our new high visibility trousers, added a elastic band with a drawstring at the bottom in order to prevent them being too wide.

It is nothing new that men and women have different body shapes, but there are different body types among women, which is a big challenge as our ambition is to produce garments that fit everyone, regardless of their body. Based on our ambition, 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.

Why do you not concentrate on pink, red and more chromatic colours for garments aimed at women?
Apart from fit, we do not make any distinction between men and women when it comes to work clothes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with, for example, the colour pink, but if we launch another colour collection then it will be in the men's range as well. Who says you want pink overalls just because you're a woman?

How would you summarise Blåkläder's work on the women's collection?
Is not nice to work a whole day in clothing that doesn’t feel comfortable. Using important feedback from the amazing women in the sector, we want to produce garments that provide the same comfort and functionality  that the guys already have.