Corporate styling

Lucy Woodward, marketing and development manager, at Disley outlines the latest trends in the corporate world for women.

Q. What do you think women look for in their clothing selections?

There’s normally a combination of priorities, so product development is all about creating garments that give a good balance – where the fit caters for a wide demographic, the colour appeals and works with a variety of skin tones, where the fabric is easy to care for, yet also comfortable to wear and long lasting and where the style is up to date and modern, without necessarily following ‘fast’ fashion.

Q. What styles, colours, trends do you think will be big sellers this year and why?

We’ve seen a mixture. Clean, fresh white blouses, particularly those with a bit of detail – whether that’s texture in the fabric or styling in the design – always look crisp. Paring them with more contemporary shades of stone chinos or indigo jeans is giving a lift too. Navy is increasing in popularity too – Disley has just introduced it to the new Erin blouse and it’s going down a treat with wearers. Demand for striking colours like red or teal is also high.

Q. Do you think this market is growing?

Up until now it has been real growth area. Where garments co-ordinate, companies are more inclined to offer a wider uniform wardrobe selection than they would have done in the past.

They are more likely to be a variety of style of blouses that cater for different tastes, shapes and sizes.

For example, Disley’s new white round neck blouse Molly has a sister style in the same fabric – Grace an elegant collared concealed front style.

Companies are much more accepting of the idea that employee engagement with a uniform is the best route for ensuring its success, wearers are naturally more likely to look after clothes that they like and far less likely to go ‘off piste’ and start wearing their own clothes and thereby undermining the intentions behind a unified corporate image.