The Indian government is projecting 10% export growth this year, after a poor performance in 2012. The prediction is based on recovery in North America, the largest destination for clothing exports, which has filled Indian order books. On the other hand, the only claim for Europe is ‘fingers crossed’ because the Euro Zone recovery is proving to be very slow.

How does clothing affect us at work, and what does workplace clothing have to do with the economy?

1. While many of us have necessary clothing for our job, such as safety gear or a uniform, what we do with it can make a huge difference. The pictures of Richard Branson dressed as a Virgin air stewardess this week make clear that a uniform can look perfect or perfectly horrible, depending on context!

2. If you don’t have a uniform, the way you dress can affect you and others: overly dramatic, revealing or sloppy clothing can distract your colleagues and cause accidents. A workplace dress code also affects clients, customers and suppliers and dressing appropriately can allow individuals to feel more confident and professional which in turn gives clients a sense of worth and suppliers a sense of aspiring to achieve standards.

3. First impressions also count – if we are politely greeted by a well-dressed individual our own self-esteem is boosted, while if we are grunted at by a poorly-dressed one our self-esteem and our view of their organisation, both plummet.

4. Overdressing is a negative too – on the other hand, it’s possible to give the impression that an employee is vain and more concerned with making an impression than appropriately dressed for the job in hand, so it’s important to know the difference between dressing well and overdressing.

According to AXA Business Insurance, there has been a substantial increase in the number of deafness claims made against commercial insurance policies – in the region of 160% increase in the three years from 2009. The company was speaking in relation to the increase of nearly a third in Employer Liability claims in 2012, and is highlighting the relationship between compensation lawyers and potential claimants and a culture of entitlement which it compared to the rocketing increase in personal injury claims for car drivers recently.

The impact on British business is to increase the effect of recession by adding a layer of expense and according to the Health and Safety Executive, around a million employees in Britain could be at risk of exposure to hearing-damaging levels of noise.

Control of Noise at Work regulations say that employers have a duty to provide protection for any environment above 85 decibels, but the ear defender has not become as much a feature of British work life as high visibility clothing, gloves or goggles. One area of weakness seems to be the mandatory provision of ‘information, training and health surveillance’ and AXA highlights the need for staff to know who to approach for help. Deaf Awareness week offers a number of initiatives, including having a ‘hearing czar’ in the workplace identified with a printed T-shirt saying ‘talk to me if you can’t hear me’ or something similarly attention getting, who can encourage employees to explore whether they need hearing protection.

Everybody is in business these days – schools are in the ‘business’ of educating, hospitals in the ‘business’ of healing and so on. So what lessons can be learned from the obstreperous, the uncooperative and the outright difficult customers?

Peter Boucher of Vodafone says, in The Guardian, that even SMEs can manage great customer service, but why should they?

Because customer service is a two way street – as customers become more discerning, and more vocal about their experiences, vast amounts of free data are floating around about your company, and you don’t have to pay a survey firm or commission an opinion poll to obtain it.

The first basic is what matters to your customers – and they will tell you. If they want a firm handshake, to be called Mr or Mrs and their last name, and to see your staff in uniform, they will be telling you so, on social media. If, on the other hand, they like to be on first name terms, to get a hearty backslap and to see your personnel in T-shirts and big grins, they’ll make that clear too. All you need to do is listen.

Once you’ve listened, you need to ensure you communicate with your customers, whether they are schoolchildren in the classroom or senior executives in the boardroom. They may not always get what they want, but you can make that part of your business integrity if you say ‘you asked for this, and we can’t do it, but we can meet you on a compromise position which is ‘X’’ You might not want to be on Twitter, in which case, say so – but tell your customers where they can communicate with you instead, and make sure you deal with those communications promptly.

If you can’t deal with complaints or problems immediately, tell your customers that too – they will respect your honesty even if they don’t like it. So no matter how difficult the ‘customer’, make sure you learn from each encounter.

MRSA in hospitals and norovirus in the workplace – we’re all increasingly conscious of health, hygiene and productivity.

The NHS is constantly striving to clear hospital units of lingering MRSA and the onus is on the individual to wash their hands or sterilise them, and on the employee to wear clean and serviceable clothing. For nurses and healthcare assistants this is relatively easy as they usually have ‘scrubs’, tunics or tabards issued to them as part of their work uniform, but for other staff, such as surgeons and doctors, the issue is more complex.

Personal clothing used to be worn under the ‘white coat’ which concealed everything beneath but ‘white coat syndrome’ led to a general disappearance of the white medical coat and as a result, clothing hygiene has become key. The leather-patched tweed jacket so beloved of Harley Street is no longer acceptable as it may harbour germs and bacteria. Instead, simple formal clothing has become standard, and easy laundering is as critical as comfort and style.

The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago has conducted some research into personality traits and sneezing which reveals that those who have loud, honking sneezes tend to be dramatic, self-confident and extroverted, while those who try to conceal their sneezes are more likely to be highly aware of the need to please others and to feel less secure in the workplace. Current research suggests that we sneeze into the crook of our arm rather than a tissue, so it will be interesting to see if our sneezing patterns change as we get used to new guidelines meant to reduce our germ risk.

With the new suggestions about disease transmission, different forms of clothing are becoming popular in high risk workplaces, such as lightweight cotton T-shirts under scrubs or tabards, and stretch cuffed tops that can be rolled or pushed up to ensure adequate handwashing or gel cleaning.

Fashion trends emerge out of practically anything these days. Recently, even faces on a t-shirt are becoming more and more popular. If you are thinking of joining the trend, make sure you check out these examples of faces on t-shirts before replacing all your plain t-shirts.

In 2010 the Dutch Football Federation World Cup t shirts used the footballers habit of lifting their t shirts over their heads when celebrating a goal as a means of allowing Dutch crowds to embody their players in their team’s moment of glory. The jubilant faces of the top three players were printed inside t shirts so that when pulled over the head the players face would cover their own.

Dutch Football Federation World Cup 2010 t shirt

Endorse Yourself

Having your own face on your t-shirt, sounds a little egotistical doesn’t it?

This is what rock band Nickelback did in a rahter cheesy photo shoot.

Nickelback representing themselves on their own t shirts

Of course who brasher than Paris Hilton to also wear her face on a t-shirt, not once, but twice!

Endorse your Friends not just Yourself

Are t-shirts the new friendship bracelett? They are in the celebrity world, at the very least. Pop star Rita Ora recently showed up to Burberry‘s Prorsum show at London Fashion Week sporting this t-shirt with a face and statement ‘Queen Delevingne’ in support of her friend, the Burberry model Cara Delevingne.

Animal’s Faces

Nearly every trend has been adapted to animals and the face t-shirt is no excpetion. These incredibly lifelike images come up almost like 3D on the wearer. The colours for some of these t-shirts such as the pug and hairless cat make the sleeves blend into the skin so it can be hard to see where the animal face ends and the arm begins; spooky.

The pig replaces slogans for this group of men’s holiday t shirts

Graphic Portrait

If you want something a bit more quirky go for a graphic portrait instead of a standard photograph of a face.
Here Paris Hilton (is that ANOTHER t-shirt of herself?), Chloe Sevigny and Rachel Bilson wear more obscure face t-shirts.

Expressionism

Don’t just stick to normal photographs or drawing, why not spice things up with abstract expressionism likes this Picasso inspired top by Jill Sanders.

As it’s National Sibling Day, an annual day devoted to celebrating your brothers and sisters which has been celebrated for the past 13 years. Why not do something nice for your sibling and get a photo of you and them on a t-shirt, or as it’s their day for celebrating you too, why not give them a t-shirt with your face on?

Starting running or getting back into it can be a worrisome time for even the most athletic person. One thing bound to make you feel more secure is having the right running gear and at the very least looking the part.

Finding the right clothes for running can be difficult but there are key things to look for in a quality running top which will be both comfortable and stylish. The All We Do is (AWDis) label offer a great running option in the form of AWDis Contrast Cool T-shirt. Some sportswear descriptions can be quite complex so here is a quick guide explaining what makes clothes ideal for running.

Lightweight

A low gsm (gram per square metre) of around 140gsm to 150gsm is ideal for a running top. A light gsm makes fabric breathable, whilst a heavyweight t-shirt such as 180gsm will be less breathable resulting in discomfort to the wearer. Lightweight fabrics are less bulky and have a double function as on cold days a few layers of this thin fabric can keep you warm, whilst when you get hot running it will keep you cool; the best of both worlds.

Wickability

Wicking means the fabric has the ability to disperse moisture and allow it to pass through the fabric’s surface, so that evaporation can take place. This is useful because it won’t absorb your sweat so, it will keep you dry and comfortable.

Style

Vests, t-shirts, long sleeved t-shirts, every runner has their preference. Some will layer garments whilst others will have a preference for winter and one for summer.  The key to running style is to wear what you feel comfortable in, if you don’t like your arms don’t feel you should wear a vest just because other runners you see do, make sure you are dressed in a way that allows you to run as confidently as possible.

Vests often look a lot more sporty with detail in the back whilst t-shirts can look more relaxed; but a vest might keep you cooler if you are running on a hot day.

Colours

Mr Motivator knows how to be seen!

When running on the road or early in the morning and late at night bright colours are essential. Most running clothes come in vibrant shades to keep you visible to vehicles, although it also useful in a race if you stand out in a Flourescent Pink, Hot Pink or Flame some of the colours the AWDis Girlie Cool T-Shirt is available in.

So, now with these tips maybe you can go from this   

To this          

The AWDis Cool t-shirts and vests are great for running in, but don’t just take our word for it. Read Run To Be Happy’s review of AWDis Girlie Cool Vest and T-shirt.

If something humorous happens or a funny quote is banded around a common response nowadays is ‘I need  that on a t-shirt’. Some trend setters create and wear the t-shirts which everyone then clambers aboard the wagon to wear too. Making a name for himself for something other than his hair styles, and footballing skills, Manchester City footballer Mario Balotelli for instance wore a sky blue t-shirt emblazoned with three simple words ‘Why Always Me’ under his City kit. No doubt City fans across the globe were thinking ‘where can I get one of those?’

With the recent rise of memes plastering social media channels as well as being used in billboard advertising there are more and more images making us chuckle. Why leave these in the ether when they would be great as designs on t-shirts and maybe even make someone smile.

So here are some of our favourite memes that we think would look great on a t-shirt.

Economics Memes

The world is a little different for Bill Gates. Economic Crisis? What Economic Crisis?

Baby Memes

People cannot get enough of animals or children either looking cute or doing funny things. Watch ten minutes of ‘You’ve Been Framed’ and apart from the ocassional person falling over it is full of children and animals.

Animal Memes

Political Memes

Great for defaming politicians, but also to show you endorse a particular party or leader.

Technology Memes

Negative Humour

Somehow it’s much easier to accept harsh words when they’re on a t-shirt and insults can even become humorous.

Tweet us what meme or quote you would put on a t-shirt @qtag  #NeedThatTshirt or say hi on facebook.

You may have spotted animal t-shirts as a fashion trend a few years ago, but if you thought it was likely to fade away into fashion history like so many other momentary styles, you were wrong.

Perfect for animal lovers the style allows you to wear an animal without wearing leather or fur, but that’s not its only advantage. Whether styled with a high waisted skirt or over denim shorts the animal t-shirt is easy to wear and draws attention for all the right reasons.  The animal t-shirt is adaptable to most of the other recent fashion trends, for instance the baggy, unisex fit common to the t-shirts looks great over jeggings or leggings. For smarter occasions they can be loosely tucked in to black trousers or worn over or under a long pleated skirt.

Stag designs for home decor
(Image courtesy of www.onebrowncow.co.uk)

The recent revival in retro style animal memorabilia isn’t just reserved for clothing.  Woodland animals such as owls, deer, wolves, and foxes have become design features for jewellery, artwork, and home décor such as clocks, cushions and throws. The design is ideal as they are great for men or women, and truly suit either one. Whether you want to show off your animalistic side or love of nature they have an equal appeal to both sexes.

As with any great style it has top celebrity endorsement as well as featuring in high profile catwalks in fashion weeks.

Celebrities in Animal Tshirts

Male models wear animal sweatshirts at Autumn Winter 2012 season catwalks

Further proof the animal design is anything but over, many new businesses have a focus on animals be it a t-shirt, sweatshirt or furniture and interior design. We spoke to clothing designer Joanne Pennington who created Pengat in 2010 using  plain t-shirts from qtag.com to begin her business. Pengat offer stylish and original design with the main feature being the hybrid animal creations. When asked what prompted her to focus her designs on animals her answers were fourfold:

1. I’ve always drawn animals since a young age and since specialising in Illustration I became interested in merging animals together to create hybrids. My illustration style seems to lend itself to animals, dark creatures and skull design quite well.

2. I knew how popular they were in fashion. Even if trends come and go, animal prints seem to stay popular in some form or other (whether it be patterned zebra prints, dog faces, aquatic prints or more feminine cats or rabbits – there is always something).

Unisex designs
Image courtesy of www.pengat.co.uk

3. It appeals to every age and gender, whether younger girls, older animal lovers or men wanting a quirky hybrid or tattoo inspired animal print.

4. I’ve had my fair share of pets in the past, and have also done volunteer work at a sea bird rescue centre in South Africa. SO having a cat and working with penguins inspired the Pengat design which became my logo and is currently my most popular print along side the humming birds.

Pengat logo
Courtesy of www.pengat.co.uk

Oz the Great and Powerful

The film ‘Oz The Great and Powerful’ is gracing the silver screen this March as a prequel to the infamous ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ novel by L. Frank Baum. The 1939 film adaptation of this, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ inspired the first promotional t-shirt.

In the 74 years since that first promotional t-shirt and today’s saturated market there have been a continual stream of great and not-so-good movie t-shirts. Here are our top 5.

Napoleon Dynamite

Vote For Pedro

This 2007 cult film follows anti-hero Napoleon and his crusade to get his friend Pedro elected as president at their American high-school.

The cult nature of the audience shot the t-shirt featured in the film worn by Napoloen to fame as people backed Pedro’s presidential campaign outside of the film. This effective promotion of the film really took off as to ‘get it’ you needed to be in the know about Napoloeon Dynamite; in sum, only hipsters allowed.

Twilight

Twighlight star Taylor Lautner wears a Team Edward T-shirt in a sketch for Saturday Night Live

Slogan t-shirts have really taken off in the last few years. Slogan tees have often been linked to a film or tv series tagline. A great example of this would be Team Jacob Vs Team Edward for the Twilight Saga films.

Getting people to engage with a film franchise in real life and invest in the characters in a personal way is a great way to create a conversation outside of the film.

Film Poster T-shirts

Back to the Future

The easiest transition between publicity and promotional-wear is the movie poster as it is already eye-catching and familiar, easy to reproduce. An iconic example is the then futuristic poster for Back To The Future which features Marty McFly and the Delorion car.

 Star Wars

Megan Fox in her stepson’s Star Wars T-Shirt

 One of the biggest selling film franchises of all time it has been the subject of a host of different t-shirt designs. Elements of Star Wars have even been used on other film t-shirts such as Pulp Fiction.

Actress Megan Fox recently attempted a Lara Croft look when she caused a stir wearing her stepson’s Star Wars t-shirt.

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters

Who you gonna call? Even if you haven’t seen the film nearly everyone knows the response to the above question. The film and ghostbusters logo was popularised by Ray Parker Junior who sang the theme tune which reached no.1 in the U.S and no.2 in the UK charts.

It’s still popular today, recently Madonna’s fashion conscious daughter Lourdes has been spotted in a Ghostbusters t-shirt.

Farmers know how to cope with a cold spring using Sheep-Shirts. Courtesy of http://myfutureme.net

The flowers bud, the lambs are born, but possibly most excitingly of all, the sweatshirts come off. These are normally the signs that we have thrown off winter and are well and truly on our warm and sun-blessed journey to summer.

With spring time officially beginning on Thursday and British Summer time on the 31st, we should be basking in the glorious sunshine. However, all over the country we have, instead of new-life and daffodils, been greeted with snow blizzards and freezing temperatures. There have been occasional sunny spells between freak snow storms, but over all it feels more like the end of autumn, than beginning of spring.

Not to worry, it just gives us more time to prepare our spring wardrobes. And that means t-shirts, shorts, lightweight sweaters, and maybe even shorts (if we’re really lucky).

 Why is a t-shirt good for Spring?

Laid Back

Across the pond this week Les Miserables star Amanda Seyfried has been papped sporting shorts and a t-shirt. The laid back style looks effortless and the bare legs and arms reveal healthy, but pale skin. It’s a fun outfit, but without being too revealing, the relaxed spring look.

Amanda Seyfried looks relaxed in t-shirt and shorts

Layer It 

The key to style and comfort in spring is layering, insuring you are prepared for sun, rain, and maybe even snow. A t-shirt is a sure-fire fashion success under a denim, leather or canvas jacket. Also, a simple plain t-shirt can go under or over anything, whilst still looking stylish.

 Brighten Up Your Day

Maybe Chelsea Healey was just trying to cheer up a grey day in this garish ensemble.

Wear in pastel colours or a light shade to reflect the sun and spread the (limited) sun beams further.

Anyone with Seasonal Affective Disorder will be familiar with the fact that natural sunlight makes people happier. Express your cheeriness in a vibrantly coloured t-shirt or brighten up someone’s day with your favourite spring colour.

The Ultimate Spring Look

Style personified by Patricia Franchini in Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless

One of the best spring looks is a simple plain white or black t-shirt with cropped trousers.

This style has been reinvented and restyled in every decade since its popularity in the 1950s, but it is still a winner today, however it’s worn.

Carey Mulligan dresses cropped trousers with black T and leather jacket

This look is at its best with nautical themed stripes; nothing says spring better than sailing on a yacht. Team navy and white or red and white striped t-shirt with some white or navy cropped trousers and espadrilles is the perfect spring look.

Taylor Swift perfects the nautical tee with cropped trousers

Ease into that tan

The moment the sun comes out, we nation of sun seekers flee to the parks and beaches to frazzle our delicate skin. For one thing it isn’t warm enough for sun bathing yet, and for another it is dangerous. Your skin hasn’t seen the sun for a while, so ease it into a sun-kissed glow in  a t-shirt.  If you want more flesh on show go for a v-neck, until it’s warm enough to get that vest out of hibernation.