NEW STAFF UNIFORMS INSPIRED BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES, HISTORY, CULTURE AND CRAFT
Brand consultancy The Partners has worked with Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks to design and craft staff uniforms inspired by local communities as part of the brands’ drive to represent their values throughout the business.
With over 175 years of heritage, Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks’ employees are now dressed in designs inspired by local art, history, architecture and landscape. The Partners were tasked with reinforcing the Banks’ ethos of ‘We Care About Here’ by putting real thought and investment into staff uniforms.
Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks’ history is rooted in their local areas in nature as well as name, and The Partners collaborated with Glaswegian fashion designer Aimee Kent, and Clissold Mill in Yorkshire to draw on their local heritage and produce a bespoke range of prints, tartan and tweed, supporting local industries in the process.
The prints were produced as durable pieces by Clissold Mill, founded in 1920 and made famous by ‘The British Collection’ it designed for Paul Smith. The style of the uniforms was created by an apparel design specialist, Goose Design.
The result is a stylish, hyperlocal offering of striking tartan and tweed, set off by original print and small details including bespoke branded buttons and a care label that reads ‘We care about local independent businesses. Designed and made in Britain.’ All the clothing went through extensive testing with staff to ensure it was created with as much care to fit as everyday wear.
Helen Page, Propositions and Marketing Director at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, said: “As Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks embark on their standalone future, we wanted our staff uniform to represent our brand – not just in the way it looks and feels, but in the story of its making.
“Our branding comes from our roots – we’re proud to be local and we care about the customers and communities we support and that’s why our new uniform will combine a Glasgow designer and a Yorkshire mill. In making the new collection, we’re pleased to have been able to support Clissold Mill which is a long-standing, regional family business, as well as helping to provide a platform for the next generation of Scottish design talent.”
Dave Roberts, Creative Director at The Partners, added: “We’re thrilled to have partnered with Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks and independent artists and manufacturers for this project. It’s so rewarding to see people proud to wear such striking uniforms that celebrate the brands’ past and embraces their future’’.
The uniforms can be seen on staff at all branches of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks.
