Queensland workwear label Co Gear has teamed up with mining giant BHP and Blackwoods to redesign workwear for expecting mothers.
The high-visibility maternity clothing comes as industrial, trade and mining businesses strive to increase the number of women in their workforce.
Co Gear founder and director, Kym O’Leary, said that the introduction of maternity clothing helps businesses clearly demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
"There is a growing number of women looking to pivot away from roles in metro areas and take on industrial and trade roles with some of the biggest mining and construction companies in Australia.
"While some businesses may not see the introduction of workwear for women as a significant change, it is actually an immediate and tangible output that can demonstrate commitment to progress.
"It’s 2020 and businesses need to go beyond creating committees and implementing policies, and assuming the job is done.
"They need to make broader strides and take immediate action where they can, even if it is bucking the one size fits all mentality around workwear," she said.
To ensure the garments could stand up to the practicalities of day-to-day work, significant research, development and testing was undertaken with women working across the Bowen Basin and Pilbara mining regions.
O’Leary added that the garments were tested with a range of women over 12 months, to ensure that they fit well at every stage of pregnancy.
"When we started working on the redesigns for our range of women’s workwear, we knew that collaboration was going to be a major contributor to our success, and fortunately we had plenty of support from industry leaders such as BHP and Blackwoods.
"We also had an exciting opportunity to collaborate with a number of women from varying industrial and trade backgrounds over a 12-month period on our maternity wear range, which went through endless rounds of design changes to ensure it provides comfort, functionality and a flattering fit at all stages of pregnancy.
"The feedback we received from women across varying roles in often challenging conditions was very positive, and further highlighted the need for businesses to re-evaluate the workwear options," she said.