Elwood's workwear sister brand ELWD has released a range of washable masks for tradies.
The business, which has seen sustained demand throughout the pandemic, introduced the masks to give tradies a reusable option that is comfortable to wear all day on the work site.
Speaking to Ragtrader, ELWD GM Alister Wright said that the brand was able to grow quickly by finding out what Australian tradesmen and women needed from their workwear.
"We saw a very real and substantial gap in the workwear market for premium quality product. We saw a need and we filled it.
"Furthermore, lots of customers were asking the brand (Elwood) if we were ever going to do workwear, the demand was so great that we created the sub brand ELWD.
"Being able to connect to the Australian tradie and really find out what was missing in the workwear market helped gain traction and grow the brand," he said.
Identifying the main pain points in workwear including poor quality materials, low fabrication and bulky fit, the brand was able to rectify those issues to offer a high-quality alternative.
This has helped it sustain trade through the COVID-19 period, adapting to the conditions along the way.
"We prioritised shipments for workwear customers as these were some of the only retail networks that remained open during the lockdown," Wright said.
"Some of our wholesale accounts have remained open across Australia (NSW/QLD/ACT) so demand was pretty steady.
"We have had to fast track orders from our factories to get orders in quicker to meet the continued demand.
"We also booked in sea shipment early to ensure we got in front of big players such as Officeworks and Bunnings during this busy period.
"Our team has also conducted some complex forecasting to ensure we are stocked up for the future," he said.