# Workwear

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{{Short description|Clothing worn for a profession}}
{{upscaled images|date=February 2025}}
{{Western dress codes|casual}}
'''Workwear''' is clothing worn for work, especially work that involves [manual labour](/source/manual_labour).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861714096/workwear.html |title=''workwear'' – Dictionary – MSN Encarta |access-date=2006-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626041531/http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861714096/workwear.html |archive-date=2006-06-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Often those employed within trade industries elect to be outfitted in workwear because it is built to provide durability and safety.

[[File:Agriculture in Britain during the First World War Q27691 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Agricultural workers wearing [bib overalls](/source/bib_overalls) during World War&nbsp;I]]
The workwear [clothing industry](/source/clothing_industry) is growing<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.just-style.com/analysis/workwear-sector-lines-up-for-growing-business_id95079.aspx |title= Workwear sector lines up for growing business |access-date= 2011-01-12 |date= 2006-09-28 |publisher= just-style.com |archive-date= 2017-12-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171206005832/https://www.just-style.com/analysis/workwear-sector-lines-up-for-growing-business_id95079.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref> and consumers have numerous retailers to choose from. Chains that have made a commitment to the $1 billion and rising workwear business report steady 6 percent to 8 percent annual gains in men's workwear.<ref name="findarticles.com">{{cite journal | title = Capturing consumers with destination departments – National Industry Report: Work Wear supplement | journal = Discount Store News | date = 1996-05-06| publisher=FindArticles.com | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3092/is_n9_v35/ai_18284451/ | access-date = 2011-01-12}}</ref>

In the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom), if workwear<ref>[https://safesho.com/the-impact-of-work-clothing-design-on-workers-comfort/ workwear]</ref> is provided to an employee without a [logo](/source/logo), it may be subject to [income tax](/source/income_tax) being levied on the employee for a "[payment in kind](/source/In_kind)." However, if company clothing is provided with logos on then the employee may be entitled to a [tax rebate](/source/tax_rebate) to help pay for the upkeep.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM32450.htm|title = EIM32450 - Employment Income Manual - HMRC internal manual - GOV.UK}}</ref>

== History ==
thumb|right|Advertisement for overalls, 1920
In Britain from the mid 19th century until the 1970s, [dustmen](/source/dustman), coalmen, and the manual laborers known as [navvies](/source/navvies) wore [flat cap](/source/flat_cap)s,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zWDOCAAAQBAJ&dq=navvy&pg=PP1 Railway navvies]</ref> [corduroy](/source/corduroy) pants, heavy boots,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=7PBMAAAAMAAJ&dq=navvy&pg=PA326 Leisure hour]</ref> and [donkey jacket](/source/donkey_jacket)s,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=SGD7AwAAQBAJ&dq=donkey%20jacket&pg=PT111 The way we wore]</ref> often with a brightly colored cotton [neckerchief](/source/neckerchief) to soak up the sweat. Later versions of the donkey jacket came with leather shoulder patches to prevent wear when shouldering a spade or pick. Mill workers in Yorkshire and Lancashire wore a variant of this basic outfit with [English clog](/source/English_clog)s.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=g7vtBsF5OH0C&dq=mill%20worker%20clogs&pg=PA15 Tap Roots]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=debpAQAAQBAJ&dq=mill%20worker%20clogs&pg=PA24 Stanleys view]</ref> The cuffs of the pants were frequently secured with string, and [grandad shirt](/source/grandad_shirt)s were worn without a collar to decrease the likelihood of being caught in the steam powered machinery. 

By the early [Victorian era](/source/Victorian_era), a working class man's occupation could be identified through his attire. Millers, bakers and cooks wore white clothing due to the importance of [food hygiene](/source/food_hygiene), [knife maker](/source/knife_maker)s, [blacksmith](/source/blacksmith)s and [shoemaker](/source/shoemaker)s wore heavy duty leather aprons, butchers and fishmongers wore straw hats and red or blue striped aprons, and [cab driver](/source/cab_driver)s wore [top hat](/source/top_hat)s and caped [greatcoat](/source/greatcoat)s as protection from the rain. [Costermonger](/source/Costermonger)s wore one of the most distinctive outfits, comprising a [flat cap](/source/flat_cap), well polished boots, a silk scarf known as a kingsman, and blue [corduroy](/source/corduroy) trousers and waistcoat with gold huntsman buttons (i.e. buttons with a [hunting](/source/hunting) motif).<ref>Mayhew, London labour and the London poor</ref> The tradition of the [pearly king](/source/pearly_king) emerged during the late 19th century when a young [street sweeper](/source/street_sweeper) named [Henry Croft](/source/Henry_Croft_(pearly)) imitated the costermongers' clothing by stitching [mother of pearl](/source/mother_of_pearl) buttons to the seams of his jacket and trousers.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20221101-the-pearly-kings-and-queens-londons-other-royal-family Pearly Kings and Queens, London's other royal family]</ref>

=== Asian workwear===
thumb|Tabi boots and Nikkapokka pants worn by Japanese fisherman, 1915
In Japan, workwear developed during the early 20th century from a synthesis of Japanese and European clothing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Filleul |first=Ynes Sarah |date=2025-03-27 |title=Japan Street Style: How Construction Uniforms Went High Fashion |url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/how-japanese-construction-uniforms-went-high-fashion/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Tokyo Weekender |language=en}}</ref> Tobishoku, Japanese high rise construction workers would wear [jika-tabi](/source/jika-tabi) boots with [Nikkapokka](/source/Tobi_trousers) pants which emerged from Dutch [knickerbockers](/source/Knickerbockers_(clothing)) and Japanese design.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Filleul |first=Ynes Sarah |date=2025-03-27 |title=Japan Street Style: How Construction Uniforms Went High Fashion |url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/how-japanese-construction-uniforms-went-high-fashion/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Tokyo Weekender |language=en}}</ref> They were often stitched using [Sashiko](/source/Sashiko), a garment mending technique originally made by Japanese farmers and fishermen to repair damaged garments.<ref>Mason, H. "The Object: A Look Into The Things We Own And How We See Them."</ref> During the [Pacific War](/source/Pacific_War) tabi boots were issued to [Japanese soldier](/source/Japanese_soldier)s to facilitate [tree climbing](/source/tree_climbing).

Modern Chinese workwear was developed from the five button [Zhongshan suit](/source/Zhongshan_suit) popularized by [Sun Yat-Sen](/source/Sun_Yat-Sen) and [Mao Zedong](/source/Mao_Zedong). This was derived from [fatigue blouse](/source/French_(tunic))s issued to the prewar German, British and Russian armies in addition to the blue denim [chore jacket](/source/chore_jacket)s and [shacket](/source/shacket)s worn by French factory workers. Under Communism the Mao jacket became mandatory for all sections of society and was made in blue for the workers, grey or tan for [CCP](/source/CCP) members, black for policemen, white for naval officers, and green for the military. High ranking party members were entitled to four rather than two external pockets.<ref>[https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/clothing/11maosui.htm Photos of Chinese workers in Mao suits, 1980s]</ref> In cold weather, a padded two-piece outfit based on the Russian [telogreika](/source/telogreika) was worn by peasants and construction workers.

=== Maritime workwear ===
[[File:Seaman with a cat and kitten, c 1910 (9388648829) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|left|Australian sailor wearing [bell bottoms](/source/bell_bottoms), ca. 1910]]
Since the late 18th century, [merchant seamen](/source/Merchant_navy) and dockworkers have worn [denim](/source/denim) [flared trousers](/source/flared_trousers), striped [undershirt](/source/undershirt)s, knitted [roll neck](/source/roll_neck) jumpers, and short blue [peacoat](/source/peacoat)s.<ref>[http://www.gentlemansgazette.com/peacoat-guide-history-sizing-buy/ Gentleman's gazette]</ref> This basic outfit, paired with a thick leather belt, [flat cap](/source/flat_cap) and clogs, was also a mark of identification for [turn of the century](/source/turn_of_the_century) criminal gangs such as the [Scuttlers](/source/Scuttlers).<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2008/10/20/201008_scuttlers_interview_feature.shtml Scuttlers gang]</ref>
On the more luxurious [cruise ship](/source/cruise_ship)s and [ocean liner](/source/ocean_liner)s, deckhands wore neatly pressed [dress blues](/source/Dress_uniform) similar to those of the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) and [USN](/source/USN), while waiters and [cabin steward](/source/cabin_steward)s wore white [uniform](/source/uniform)s with a [band collar](/source/band_collar), gilded brass buttons, and a gold stripe on the trouser leg.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} 

In wet weather, historically sailors wore [oilskins](/source/oilskins), [Souwester](/source/Souwester)s, and dreadnoughts.<ref>{{Cite OED|dreadnought|1813484022}}</ref> Contemporary [fishermen](/source/fishermen) in poor weather generally wear a two-piece yellow or orange waterproof jacket and trousers. Modern updates to the traditional look include [polar fleece](/source/polar_fleece)s, [hoodie](/source/hoodie)s, [baseball cap](/source/baseball_cap)s, and [knit cap](/source/knit_cap)s. In Europe, the most common workwear onboard vessels is a [boilersuit](/source/boilersuit).

Straw hats, [sailor cap](/source/sailor_cap)s and tarred waterproof hats are no longer in widespread civilian use, but wool or denim versions of the [Greek fisherman's cap](/source/Greek_fisherman's_cap) remain common.

===Equestrian workwear===
{{Main|Western wear}}
thumb|Welsh postman, 1955

Before 1900, the haulage industry relied on horse-drawn transportation in rural areas not served by a [train station](/source/train_station). In the [Old West](/source/Old_West), [stage coach](/source/stage_coach) drivers, [wagon](/source/wagon) [teamster](/source/teamster)s and [pony express](/source/pony_express) riders wore linen [duster coat](/source/duster_coat)s, tall boots and [slouch hat](/source/slouch_hat)s as protection from the dust and sun. The attire of the working [cowboy](/source/cowboy), copied from Mexican [vaquero](/source/vaquero) clothing, included blue [jeans](/source/jeans), [cowboy boot](/source/cowboy_boot)s with [high heel](/source/high_heel)s, a [bandana](/source/bandana), a [stetson hat](/source/stetson_hat), and a checked [western shirt](/source/western_shirt) with [pearl snap](/source/pearl_snap)s.

British [postmen](/source/postal_worker), so-called because they originally rode [postilion](/source/postilion) on the horses of the [mail coach](/source/mail_coach)es that collected letters from [staging post](/source/staging_post)s, wore a blue coat and scarlet [waistcoat](/source/waistcoat) to identify them as employees of the British crown. As of 2025, [Royal Mail](/source/Royal_Mail) continues this tradition by issuing red jackets and polo shirts to their employees. The first [safety boot](/source/safety_boot)s, reinforced with iron plates, were introduced around 1600 to protect the postman's legs from the heavy [draw bar](/source/draw_bar) of the mail coach. Originally, [top hat](/source/top_hat)s were worn but by the 1850s these had been replaced with [peaked cap](/source/peaked_cap)s or [kepi](/source/kepi)s which were less likely to be knocked off by low-hanging tree branches. Although [post horse](/source/post_horse)s had largely been superseded by [bicycle](/source/bicycle)s by the 1890s, postmen continued to deliver the mail on horseback to remote addresses until the 1950s. Although most [postal services](/source/postal_services) wear blue, American [USPS](/source/USPS) mailmen have worn grey military pattern [ike jacket](/source/ike_jacket)s since the 1940s and Polish postal workers wore a [maciejowka cap](/source/maciejowka_cap) and brown uniform derived from those used by the [Austro-Hungarian Empire](/source/Austro-Hungarian_Empire) before blue uniforms were introduced under communism. In colder countries like Germany, Norway or Finland, postmen wear [ski cap](/source/ski_cap)s with a turn-down flap to protect the ears and face, while mail carriers in Australia, South Africa and the Southern US are issued shorts and [pith helmet](/source/pith_helmet)s due to the tropical climate.

=== Railroad use ===
In the [Old West](/source/Old_West) era, [Union Pacific](/source/Union_Pacific) [train engineer](/source/train_engineer)s and railroad workers wore distinctive [overalls](/source/overalls), caps and [work jacket](/source/work_jacket)s made from [hickory stripe](/source/hickory_stripe)<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GdbYAQAAQBAJ&dq=railroad%20engineer%20cap&pg=PA343 Hats and headwear]</ref> before [boiler suit](/source/boiler_suit)s were invented in the early 20th century.<ref>[http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/04/30/how-to-wear-a-seersucker-suit/ Art of manliness]</ref><ref>[https://nytonashville.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/hickory-stripe-and-an-old-iron-horse/ Hickory stripe]</ref> [Railway conductor](/source/Railway_conductor)s, porters and [station master](/source/station_master)s wore more formal blue uniforms based on the three piece [lounge suit](/source/lounge_suit), with brass buttons and a [military surplus](/source/military_surplus) [kepi](/source/kepi) from the [Civil War era](/source/M1858_uniform). In modern times, the striped engineer cap remains part of the uniform of American train drivers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.uprrmuseum.org/curator/engineer-cap.shtml |title=Engineer cap |access-date=2016-04-12 |archive-date=2016-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328081254/http://www.uprrmuseum.org/curator/engineer-cap.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Modern era ==
=== Logging industry ===
[[File:Madera-Sugar-Pine-Loggers.jpg|thumb|[Sugar Pine](/source/Madera_Sugar_Pine_Company) lumberjacks in loose fitting, [stagged-off pants](/source/Cuff), suspenders, long-johns, felt hats and [caulk boots](/source/caulk_boots).<ref name="Johnston 1997">{{cite book |last=Johnston |first=Hank |date=1997 |title=The Whistles Blow No More |publisher=Stauffer Publishing |isbn=0-87046-067-6}}</ref>{{rp|102}}]]
Since the days of the [Old West](/source/Old_West), American and Canadian [lumberjack](/source/lumberjack)s have worn [buffalo plaid](/source/buffalo_plaid) [Pendleton jacket](/source/Pendleton_jacket)s, wool [tuque](/source/tuque)s, [trapper hat](/source/Coonskin_cap)s, tall waterproof boots with a reinforced toecap, and [chaps](/source/chaps) as protection from the [chainsaw](/source/chainsaw).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=tWosMqKAv1oC&dq=PA230&pg=PA230 The Lumberjacks]</ref> Olive drab versions of the padded wool jacket were issued to [US Army](/source/US_Army) jeep crews during the war, and plaid Pendletons became popular casual wear in America during the 1950s.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=X-OMAwAAQBAJ&dq=mackinaw+jacket+us+army&pg=PA193 Uniforms of the US Army]</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Plaid Shirt: Rebellion, Grunge and a Touch Flamboyance |date=2012-03-02 |website=[Gizmodo](/source/Gizmodo) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917105239/https://gizmodo.com/5889932/the-plaid-shirt-rebellion-grunge-and-a-touch-flamboyance |archive-date=2018-09-17 |url-status=live |url=https://gizmodo.com/5889932/the-plaid-shirt-rebellion-grunge-and-a-touch-flamboyance}}</ref>

=== Use by truckers ===
[[File:Buff Cobb 1949.JPG|thumb|right|[Truck driver](/source/Truck_driver) wearing mechanic's cap, 1949.]]

From the 1930s onwards, [trucker](/source/trucker)s and mechanics wore a distinctive outfit comprising [mechanic's cap](/source/mechanic's_cap), white T-shirt, [bandana](/source/bandana), [boiler suit](/source/boiler_suit), checked shirt, [leather coat](/source/leather_coat), [Pendleton jacket](/source/Pendleton_jacket), double [denim](/source/denim) jacket, and [blue jeans](/source/blue_jeans).<ref>[https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/07/photos-american-truck-drivers-1930s-1940s-2-2/ Cool American truckers]</ref> The [skipper cap](/source/skipper_cap) in particular signified the truckers' link with the big [seaports](/source/seaports), from which imported goods were transported all over the country. This look served as the inspiration for the [ton-up boy](/source/ton-up_boy), [raggare](/source/raggare), and [greaser subculture](/source/greaser_subculture) during the [1950s](/source/1950s_teenage_fashion) and [1960s](/source/1960s_fashion). By the early 1980s,<ref>[https://www.trucks.com/2016/06/03/trucker-hats-fashion-statement-refuses-die/ The trucker hat]</ref> the [peaked cap](/source/peaked_cap)s had been replaced with foam and mesh [baseball cap](/source/baseball_cap)s known as [trucker hat](/source/trucker_hat)s or gimme caps, which were originally given to truck drivers by manufacturers such as [John Deere](/source/John_Deere), [Mountain Dew](/source/Mountain_Dew) or [Budweiser](/source/Budweiser) to advertise their products.<ref>[http://www.today.com/style/trucker-hats-are-making-huge-comeback-it-s-kind-worst-t84776 Comeback of trucker hats]</ref><ref>[https://etherealtshirts.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/the-history-of-the-humble-trucker-hat/ History of the trucker hat]</ref>

=== 1990s to 2020s===
In the present day, [industrial](/source/Industrial_sector) and [service industry](/source/service_industry) workwear typically comprises T-shirts or [polo shirt](/source/polo_shirt)s that are cheap to replace, black or navy [polyester and cotton blend](/source/gabardine) pants, [steel capped boots](/source/steel_capped_boots), and for cashiers at large [department store](/source/department_store)s like [Wal-Mart](/source/Wal-Mart) or [Aldi](/source/Aldi), a colored waistcoat or [tabard](/source/tabard) bearing the company logo.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2014/09/12/wal-marts-new-uniforms-causing-controversyagain.html Wal mart uniforms cause controversy again]</ref> Zip up [Polar fleece](/source/Polar_fleece)s, originally invented during the 1970s for use by [meat packing](/source/meat_packing) plant workers in the large refrigerated units, are also commonly worn by factory workers, barrow boys and stock handlers in colder climates.

== Inspiration in fashion ==
During the [1980s](/source/1980s_in_fashion), workwear such as the [donkey jacket](/source/donkey_jacket) and [Doc Martens](/source/Doc_Martens) [safety boot](/source/safety_boot)s were popular street attire for British [skinhead](/source/skinhead)s, [suedeheads](/source/suedeheads), [hardcore punk](/source/hardcore_punk)s and [football hooligan](/source/football_hooligan)s.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=m9LI0s4aHA4C&dq=donkey%20jacket%20leather%20patch&pg=PA15 Patches checks and violence]</ref> More recently, [Celtic punk](/source/Celtic_punk) groups such as [Dropkick Murphys](/source/Dropkick_Murphys) have adopted aspects of the look such as the [flat cap](/source/flat_cap) to assert their working class Irish-American identity.

In the 21st century, the style has also made a huge impact on the fashion industry, including segments such as [streetwear](/source/streetwear).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lakin|first=Max|date=21 March 2019|title=How The Men's Workwear Trend Took Over The City|url=https://www.mrporter.com/en-us/journal/fashion/how-the-mens-workwear-trend-took-over-the-city-872946|access-date=9 September 2020|website=Mr Porter}}</ref> Workwear has not just become a style of clothes that has been adopted by the [hipster subculture](/source/hipster_subculture), but a culture and way of life in this particular community. [Pompadour](/source/Pompadour_(hairstyle)) hair cuts, [tattoo](/source/tattoo)s, denim jackets, military trench coats, lumberjack flannels, chambray shirts, [raw denim](/source/Denim), and [work boots](/source/Boot) take part into this workwear style.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mensfashionmagazine.com/the-workwear-trend|title=The Workwear Trend Mens – Fashion Magazine|website=www.mensfashionmagazine.com|date=24 March 2014|access-date=2016-04-08}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Work clothing}}
*[Personal protective equipment](/source/Personal_protective_equipment)
*[Dress code](/source/Dress_code)
*[Western dress codes](/source/Western_dress_codes)
** [Casual wear](/source/Casual_wear)
*** [Business casual](/source/Business_casual)
*** [Smart casual](/source/Smart_casual)
*** [Casual Friday](/source/Casual_Friday)
*** [Sportswear](/source/Sportswear_(fashion))

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Clothing}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Workwear

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Workwear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workwear) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workwear?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.