Uniforms are at the heart of an organization. They are how employees and customers identify each other and connect. They are powerful and practical for workplaces all over the world. Uniforms have an interesting and diverse history. The Oxford dictionary defines uniforms as” distinctive clothing worn by the members of the same organization or body or by children attending certain schools”.
Evolution of uniforms through history
In the medieval era, uniforms became a means of identifying people as belonging to a particular group or house of the era. They became a badge of identification. With the advent of the industrial revolution, garment and textile manufacturing could be mass produced. This gave rise to liveries, uniforms worn by servants and messengers in the houses of nobles and aristocrats in England.
Following this, postmen became the employees in the earliest ever occupation to wear uniforms. Mail guard coach drivers were asked to wear red and blue uniforms sixty years later, which clashed with the military's worn at the time.
After the fall of the monarchy and the onset of the Napoleonic wars, military-inspired uniforms were instituted to convey a message to the public that an organized, administrative government was running the country as opposed to being governed by the monarchy. Post-industrial revolution, different uniforms were being worn by workers belonging to different occupations. Also, denim became the uniform of choice among miners and manual labourers in the U.S as it could withstand harsh working conditions and extreme weather conditions.
In the healthcare industry, which transitioned from nuns carrying out voluntary work to a professional field, uniforms evolved from ultra-modern and extremely lengthy tunics and aprons to the present-day nursing uniforms. The hallmark starched white or blue uniforms. Christ Hospital School in London was the first school in 1552 was the first school in London to use a uniform.
Several new industrial uniform manufacturers today provide the highest quality for every sector.
List of worst uniforms changing trends in fashion and their impacts:
There are uniquely ugly uniforms ranging from bad colour choices to poor design, which make hard wardrobe choices. There are fashion and style mistakes both in historical uniforms and present-day uniforms.
- Glaring mistakes in military uniform history, both medieval and modern
Military uniforms, in particular, have been known for their impracticality, also for getting soldiers wearing particular uniforms killed. Nazi army uniforms, as given below, are a particularly apt example of this:
Historically the 18th-century European uniforms represented the high water mark of impractical uniforms. This represented a mixture of hairstyles, tall helmets, tight jackets, and heavily buttoned boots, all of which were ridiculously impractical but meant to enforce discipline. The stock had a high stiff leather collar that dug into soldiers’ chin and neck, reducing their situational awareness.
The Prussian Army also has uniforms made with a bare minimum of cloth. These shrank due to dampness restricting movement and preventing the wearers from buttoning them up properly. Tight uniforms also did not have cloaks that went over them, resulting in many soldiers freezing to death.
Part of the uniforms of the Hessian mercenaries in the pay of British revolutionaries included tall, pillar box hats decorated with silver bells, which got knocked off by trees, especially for those soldiers riding horses. Soldiers from the Duke of Wellington’s regiment wear red uniforms with white bands or belts. This makes them stand out in a crowd and has the disadvantage of making them excellent targets. Some uniforms did not provide great coats to wear in winter or as a part of the uniform, resulting in many soldiers dying during the winter.
Military uniforms also did not provide proper headgear, due to which many soldiers died due to head wounds. The German Army circumvented this by providing helmets that protected soldiers’ heads without obscuring their vision.
Military uniforms’ colours also evolved from being brightly visible, making soldiers a clear target for the enemy to grey, blue, and other neutral tones, which allowed soldiers to blend into the background.
Some armies did not provide proper shoes for their soldiers, and some marched in cardboard shoes, resulting in soldiers getting frostbite.
These are replete with uniform mistakes like cartoon characters, inappropriate colours like brilliant green, bumblebee designs, and cartoon logos on the shirts or the shorts. Unclear logos or outsized logos, inappropriate lettering, off-putting colour choices, cuts, and stitching in the wrong place are included in all wardrobe mistakes.
The cut of the sports jersey and the shorts has also evolved over time.
Uniforms saw an evolution from a sea of
formal wear and suits to a more relaxed and trendy look in recent times. Weekday options are also provided so that uniforms do not look monotonous. Sometimes due to the need to economize, driving uniform design based on cost results in poor uniforms. Contrary to public thinking, brand agencies do not necessarily design the perfect uniforms. Uniforms cannot please everyone in the organization, but they must gain majority support.
Conclusion
Most mistakes in history and sports show us that the designs and colours of the uniform were inappropriate, and not much thought was invested in the purpose for which the uniform is being used. Brightly coloured uniforms made soldiers sitting ducks and targets, lack of appropriate headgear and shoes all resulted in massive fatalities. Uniforms should serve the purpose for which they are intended, represent the brand appropriately, and serve the demographic for which it is intended.
Comments
Post a Comment