With some significant new additions to its range Snickers Workwear continues to prove that the clothes can make the tradesman.
Over the four decades that Snickers has been pioneering functional and fashionable workwear for the trades the Swedish manufacturer has often led where others have followed. In that time, holster pockets on trousers, kneepad pockets and a unique tool vest are amongst a host of innovations, whilst new technologies are continually brought to life from a body-shaping 3D design process.
It all began, of course, in 1975 with an angry electrician losing his cool at the standard of available workwear. Thanks to the legacy that Matti Viio has since bequeathed his fellow tradespeople, getting hot under the collar should no longer be a concern.
The workwear company already has a proud heritage of introducing advanced materials to its products. The shock-absorbing D30 in its kneepads, for instance, addresses a significant safety concern for tradesmen by protecting the knees from potentially debilitating injury.
Following in that tradition, the new LiteWork range of work trousers, shorts and jackets, with its integral, quick drying ‘37.5 fabric’, borrows from sports and outdoor garments.
Losing water vapour is how the body regulates heat, maintaining the natural temperature of 37.5°C in the process, and it is the technology named after that normal level that enables these lighter weight clothes to capture and release moisture, thereby enhancing comfort for the wearer, particularly in the summer months.
Also new to the Snickers portfolio is the heavier duty AllRound WorkTrousers featuring the freedom of movement afforded by pre-bent legs and Cordura stretch gusset, and the durability of reinforcements at the knees, hems and pockets. The familiar Snickers holster pockets features a zipped compartment, whilst leg pockets include a knife fastener, mobile phone compartment and detachable ID-badge holder.
In recent years there has been a movement towards bringing urban fashion that will appeal to younger tradespeople to building sites, and the Dunderon brand is now perhaps the most explicit example of that trend currently available in the UK.
In a history that echoes that of Snickers itself this denim clothing brand was based on the vision of Swedish carpenter, Per-Ivan Hagberg, who sought to create working clothes for style-conscious craftsmen, and today the brand is sold globally.
Filling the shoes of what had previously been a gap in the range, the Solid Gear and Toe Guard brands, now owned by the Hultafors Group, feature 23 different safety shoes across the two brands.
Footwear is offered in trainer, shoe and boot styles – all with hi-tech designs that combine comfort and safety. The composite plate and aluminium toecap provides protection whilst offering an incredibly lightweight product, and a waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex lining keeps the feet dry and comfortable, even in very wet conditions.