PCIAW® is delighted to announce that Workwear Solutions will be exhibiting at APEX/IFSA Global EXPO within the Airline Clothing Show Pavilion. Bringing its award-winning expertise as an independent garment and textiles consultancy, Workwear Solutions supports the airline industry with uniforms, technical workwear and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) across the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America.
The consultancy provides end-to-end support from product development, sourcing and technical specifications, through to certification compliance and in-factory supply chain audits. Airlines attending APEX can expect to discover how Workwear Solutions is addressing industry challenges with inclusive design standards, sustainability innovations, and robust supply chain resilience strategies.
PCIAW® has interviewed Workwear Solutions ahead of APEX/IFSA Global EXPO, taking place on 9–11th September 2025 at the Long Beach Convention Center, California, USA, to explore how the company is delivering trusted, future-ready uniform solutions for airlines worldwide.
1. Introduce your company and your services relevant to the airline industry.
Workwear Solutions is an award winning, independent garment and textiles consultancy, specialising in uniforms, technical workwear and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including for public sector and private end users in the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America.
We offer a full suite of technical product and tendering support services including design, product development, sourcing (raw materials and finished goods), technical specifications and on-going quality assessment, including in-factory supply chain compliance audits.
Our service offering can be summarised as Procurement, Design & Technical Services.
2. How have your service offerings evolved to address airlines’ current challenges in 2025?
When it comes to ensuring product safety, quality and compliance are critical – especially in the high profile and high-risk environments in which our clients operate, including airlines. Our expertise in product development, testing and certification compliance gives our clients the confidence that they’re purchasing the right product for their specific needs.
During the client consultation phase, the whole Workwear Solutions’ team works closely with our clients to understand their own specific challenges, as well as offering insight on those affecting buyers across all industries. These include consideration of key challenges for airlines such as sustainability, uniform security and end-of-life management of uniforms.
We also provide independent technical evaluation from tender assessment stage through to bulk production – our approach and expertise in conducting these assessments is a ‘game-changer’ according to our clients. We provide independent feedback to Tenderers and Suppliers on behalf of our clients – this ensures the correct product quality and compliance throughout the contract life.
3. Do you specialise in below-wing, above-wing, or both segments, and why?
We offer both below-wing and above-wing technical expertise, with a team that has extensive experience in all aspects of uniform programmes, from high-end tailoring to personal protective equipment and everything in-between.
For airlines with a vast array of job roles, spread across diverse geographical and climatical environments, visual identity is critical so that the passenger recognises the brand identity, regardless of where they have taken-off/landed.
“We understand that visual identity cannot be achieved if the items in the uniform range are not coherent from a design perspective.” Said Founder & MD Natalie Wilson, “so we focus on controls such on fabric colour matching across different products and fabrics, as well as branding consistency, which are both are key to maintaining a uniform appearance across all uniform groups.”
4. Are you supporting airlines to leverage textile or garment technologies for enhanced performance and functionality?
We achieve this in a number of ways, for example the fabric selection criteria we recommend always prioritises longevity for the life of the garments, which means specifying the materials and all trims and components (for example types of thread, zip / fastening selection). In order for the product longevity to be effective, the items also have to be easy to clean and maintain – this also supports the overall perception of the wearers who take greater pride in maintaining their uniforms and ensures the public image and visual identity can be assured for as long as possible before product needs to be replaced.
5. How do your products support diverse airline workforces through inclusive design?
Airlines have a unique challenge in diverse workforce requirements as they are geographically spread so each face specific environmental needs as well as comfort, safety and well-being needs of diverse and geographically spread workforces.
Natalie’s leadership in Standards for Inclusivity has driven advancements in making PPE accessible and effective for diverse users across industries.
At the forefront of inclusive PPE activities across the UK and Europe, we understand challenges faced by buyers and users – but critically our team also know how to support both, by developing inclusive solutions that work for every-body, within the ever-changing regulatory landscape.
Workwear Solutions was awarded the prestigious PCIAW Inclusive Design Award in 2024, in recognition of their industry leading approach and successes in this area.
6. What specific sustainability innovations are you helping airlines implement in uniforms and PPE?
Our focus is to design sustainable uniforms and technical workwear for our clients, balancing introducing environmentally friendly materials including organic cotton and recycled polyester fibres, with the commercial viability (market capacity / capability + cost). Consideration of the environmental impact from initial design, through to the end-of-life processing, is essential for each uniform and PPE item.
EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements for clothing will also positively impact ethical and sustainable initiatives, with greater transparency of the end-to-end supply chain. Workwear Solutions are developing DPP compliant processes and labelling requirements for clients to ensure that uniform and PPE programmes are implemented with sustainability and transparency at the forefront.
7. How is your company helping airlines build supply chain resilience?
Our extensive expertise in procurement means we are able to mitigate key risks for clients procuring technical workwear, PPE and high-profile uniforms, including supply chain assessments.
We proactively reduce risks by: developing robust product specifications; overseeing sampling, manufacturing and certification phases, and providing social and ethical auditing of supply chains to ensure resilience in the supply chain on the basis of product, people and place.
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