Uniform Response To The Workers
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday September 21, 1988
WHATEVER happened to the dreary old uniforms which bank workers and the like used to wear? The new term for clothing in this category is "the corporate wardrobe".
This implies two things. Firstly, the worker gets to choose from a range of styles and colours and, secondly, businesses regard the way workers look as important to their image.
Ian Wearne, national marketing manager of the Health Insurance Commission, which administers the Medicare program and the Medibank Private health insurance fund, evidently considers the new Medicare/Medibank Private uniforms a valuable investment.
"Our philosophy," Wearne said, "is that people who look good feel good about themselves. And people who feel good about themselves feel good about the people they deal with."
The commission chose top Australian designer Jill Fitzsimon from five submissions to design the uniforms.
Fitzsimon won the contract for three reasons, Wearne said: her talent as a designer; her experience with corporate wardrobes (she thinks this must be her 60th uniform); and her company's ability to manufacture and deliver to 2,000 employees nationwide.
Wearne said research revealed a demand for choice of styles. Providing a selection of styles retaining a uniform image was the major factor in the wardrobe's development.
Fitzsimon said designing corporate uniforms was not so different from designing fashion - the ultimate aim was to make clothes that were flattering
To cope with the different shapes, sizes and tastes, the new wardrobe has more than 45 pieces, including maternity wear, in woven fabrics and knitwear.
Fitzsimon was required to create easy wear and care garments in practical and fashionable colours (she used navy blue, grey, white and a splashy print), and a uniform to serve climatic conditions from the heat of Darwin to the chills of Hobart.
© 1988 Sydney Morning Herald
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