Bisley Workwear has launched an innovative new range of protective clothing and workwear designed specifically for women.
The new range comes after Bisley's Workwear Tradies Report 2020 found that almost half of the female tradies surveyed have worn casual or non-safety clothing to work because of a lack of options available to them.
The research also found that 40% of female tradies feel less safe at work wearing ill-fitting garments, with three in five admitting they have worn workwear designed for men.
The ill-fitting garments are impacting their ability to work hard, with 33% indicating they can't work as hard as they want to in incorrect clothing, while 45% feel more self-conscious and 20% feel like they don't belong.
In response to these findings, Bisley consulted five Australian female tradies to uncover the real needs for women's workwear to design a range specifically for them.
Bisley Workwear MD and owner David Gazal, said that the business was thrilled to create the new range.
"The safety of workers is the foundation of our business.
"When our research revealed that tradeswomen were feeling unsafe and uncomfortable on the worksite, we realised the need for a new industry-wide approach to women’s workwear.
"For our new range, we developed a three-dimensional fit model with our consulting tradies based on how tradeswomen move and work, variations in fit and size, and the best silhouettes for functional, professional, and safe workwear.
"We’re proud to be at the forefront of this design innovation in our industry to help reduce on-site safety inequalities," he said.
One of the tradeswomen consulted for the project, Aimee Stanton said that it was a great experience to be involved in the design of the range.
"It was brilliant to be involved in the design process; from being able to voice my frustrations with existing workwear options,
right the way through to road-testing the range!
"One of my favourite features in the new range is the reinforced panelling - which provides additional support and stops the material wearing through.
"I also love the one piece coverall - it’s really comfortable and flattering, and it has a zip so that you don’t need to take the
whole coverall off when you use the bathroom.
"I also generally feel safer on the worksite when I'm wearing clothes which I know have been designed specifically for women," she said.
Bisley ambassador Scott Cam added that the industry needs to cater to all tradies' needs.
"We want to fill our industry with the most qualified, skilled, and able tradespeople, and provide anyone with the opportunity to become exceptionally skilled.
"We need to provide all genders with the right equipment to do so.
"Until now, the future of Australian industries has been overlooked by ignoring the fact that different tradies have different needs.
"There is no one-size-fits-all approach and Bisley Workwear recognises this," he said.
The Bisley womenswear range will be available from February 22 and will be priced from $19.95 to $109.95.