In recent months, women have begun to speak up about women’s workwear, or the lack thereof, in the workplace. Female sports officials detailed the issue back in the summer when they expressed their dissatisfaction with female uniform offerings and sizes. It turns out women who choose careers in STEM fields are also faced with limited options, and that the options they do have tend to be men’s uniforms offered in smaller sizes.
According to News4JAX, women make up 24 percent of the STEM workforce, and yet their needs are not being considered when it comes to women’s workwear. Thankfully, petroleum engineer Jaime Glas decided to use her passion for fashion to upgrade the uniform options for other women.
After Glas was offered a uniform that “looked like a potato sack,” and was fitted so poorly that she would trip over it, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
“For me, it was like, ‘Wow, that’s a big population of women right there that are being ignored in the market,'” Glas said.
So she set out to create a line of fire-resistant clothing for women. And it’s already been getting a ton of attention.
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“I think it’s so wonderful something can be safe and look so stylish,” said Jasmin Richardson, an engineering science PhD student, according to News4JAX.
Glas’ apparel line, Hautework, is so successful that she eventually quit her oil job to work full time on her clothing empire. She even went on “Shark Tank,” and dazzled the judges with her ideas.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcGQdOOHXGi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
We think it’s great that more industries are shifting the way they think about women’s uniforms. We’ve heard our promotional apparel suppliers and distributors echo over and over again that women want options that are fitted for them. They do not want a women’s version of an existing men’s uniform. Not only are these looks unflattering, but as Glas learned in her workplace, they can be hindrances to workflow or even safety hazards as well.
