We had a chat with Nigel, brand manager at Syzmik Workwear, about the evolution of the company and what the upcoming trends in workwear are going to be.

How did Syzmik Workwear start?

Syzmik was started as Fashion Biz. Our parent company saw an opportunity to leverage their skill and know-how in developing uniforms for the non-industrial market into industrial workwear. The owners saw a market gap in providing great quality innovative workwear at an affordable price.

How did the name Syzmik come about?

The name itself comes from the word relating to earthquakes, “seismic”, and was inspired by the horrible earthquakes that took place in Christchurch in 2011. As our website puts it, “From the depths of the earth, a Syzmik change has been rumbling into worksites across Australia and New Zealand…and it’s about to get bigger!”

Which types of products were sold in the early days?

The original Syzmik range was a fair bit smaller than it is today and consisted of the basics such as hi vis polos, hi vis taped button up shirts and cargo pants. In the early days the big seller for us was hi vis polos. The Fashion Biz business already had a strong track record of developing great polos through the Biz Collection brand.

A little known fact is the swoop that replaces the traditional dot on the “I” in Syzmik is the shape of collar of a polo shirt, which is a bit of a reminder of the company’s foundation.

How does Syzmik differ in the marketplace compared to other workwear brands?

Syzmik is really about providing high quality innovative workwear at an affordable price. While there are many workwear brands in the Australian market most are in a race to the bottom to provide a basic product at a very cheap price.

Our aim is to push the market forward with new products and styles that have never been seen before in the workwear market.

While innovation is a big focus for us it’s not all we do, we also recognise the need to provide high quality basic or commodity items to consumers at a great price. This quest to provide great priced basics does itself require innovation as we are constantly looking at how we can reduce the cost of these basic items for our customers but actually increase the quality.

So we want be able to sell a good quality well priced basic like a taped hi vis shirt but we also want to produce innovative more style focused products that really target the retail workwear market.

We notice that you have quite a few styles available in women’s workwear. Do you feel that there is a certain gap in the marketplace for hi vis gear and tradewear to be more commonly designed towards a male demographic versus a female demographic?

Yes, I think you’re right. Traditionally workwear has been a man’s domain and any women who work in the industrial sector have had to wear men’s workwear that just didn’t fit them.

Over the last five years I have seen an ever-growing demand for more female specific workwear styles. I think this demand has been driven partly by there being more women in industrial roles now, but it’s also been women just no longer accepting men’s clothes and demanding clothing that is tailored specifically for them.

We try to make a women’s version of every product in our range. For some styles that are lower sellers we aren’t able to do it due to minimum order quantities but having an equivalent product for women is always the aim.

What would be your top recommendations for tradies or small businesses just starting out and wanting to look and feel professional while on a budget?

That’s a hard question as it depends a lot on the worksite standards and the particular industry. But I would say one of our polos as an upper garment would be my pick–they look great and are all made from very comfortable, breathable and soft 144 microfilament polyester.

I think our polos are the most comfortable on the market; and you can test this for yourself just by holding our polo and a competitor’s in your hand.

For pants, I would personally recommend the rugged cargo pants. They are great fit–not ultra-skinny but not baggy—and they’re made from a fabric that is stronger and more breathable then traditional heavier weight fabrics. So they may cost a little more than the cheapest pant on the market but they should last you longer and keep you more comfortable.

In colder weather I would recommend one of our hoodies or ¼ zip brushed fleece as they look really smart, are super warm and priced really well.

How do you feel that safety wear has evolved over time and what do you see as the future fashion trends in workwear clothing in Australia?

The biggest change has been in fashion coming into workwear. As the Baby Boomers are starting to leave the workforce and Generations X and Y are coming through, there is an ever increasing focus on workwear looking like streetwear.

Previously workwear was able to really lag behind fashion trends but now if a new style is in fashion, workwear customers want the same style in work clothes straight away.

What do you think would be the most important elements that tradespeople should consider when choosing a workwear or hi-vis style uniform?

From research I have carried out in the past, the most important elements to workers are having clothes that are comfortable and durable.

So clothing that is comfortable for our workers often means clothing that keeps them cool, this is why we have such a focus on heat stress management in our range. Comfortable can also mean freedom of movement, soft fabrics, warmth, and so on.

Durability is also imperative for our customers. If you really think about what separates workwear from fashion one of the main elements is its ability to withstand the heavy conditions that people are exposed to in industrial workplaces.

Our customers are also price conscious–they don’t want to be buying new workwear every week so the clothes have to last.

When creating a new style for the Syzmik range, where do your fashion designers tend to look to and draw inspiration from?

A whole range of different places. It will depend on the exact product I’m developing.  Industrial workwear is a really performance-focused product so I find outdoor clothing brands such as North Face, RAB and Columbia can often be a good place to look for inspiration.

For styling purposes I really reference a broad spectrum from street wear like G Star and Zanerobe as well as sports brands like Nike.

Often for us it’s about finding new fabric technologies that no one is using and then developing the product design around the kind of tasks our customer does while wearing the garment.

What’s next for Syzmik Workwear?

We have a new catalogue and range release coming out at the end of July.  Some of the products in the release will be very style-focused and will really be very different from any other products out in the workwear market.  There are a few clever little features in our new range that we always love to include so watch out for those in July.

For more about the Syzmik range, visit this link.