26 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Southern Workwear T T Kim Bowden Work clothing for all conditions The family-owned Southland business prides itself on knowing what works for southern life. Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST? For more than three decades, Southern Workwear has been dressing the people who keep the country running – making sure workers look sharp, feel comfortable and stay safe on the job. The company’s reach spans the lower South Island and beyond, supplying gear for tradies, contractors, transport operators, workshops and farms, with uniforms for hospitality and healthcare workers rounding out the mix. It’s family-owned and based in Southland, with the business priding itself on knowing what works for southern life - gear that stands up to mud, wind, cold and long days outdoors. General manager, Kerry Stewart, represents the second generation in the business his father started 32 years ago, seeing an opportunity to design clothing that met the demands of local workers. “Dad was an upholsterer before he got into the clothing game,” Kerry says. “He’s a fantastic craftsman; he loves making things.” That attitude led to the creation of the company’s own label, Far South Workwear, when customers began asking for items they couldn’t find elsewhere. “When he had customers asking for oilskin vests, he decided to make one with the features they were asking for, and it kind of grew from there,” Kerry says. Today, the range includes vests, jerseys, socks and other outdoor staples, sold both through the company’s Gore and Invercargill retail shops and nationwide via resellers and an online store. The company also supplies leading workwear brands such as Bisley and Syzmik, along with hunting and outdoor lines like Stoney Creek and Hunters Element. Products range from steel-cap boots to high-visibility clothing, meeting road, day/ night and general safety standards. While women make up a small but growing part of the trades, Kerry says what most customers really care about is comfort and fit. Southern Workwear stocks gear designed for both men and women, but he’s found that labels matter less than how something feels and performs on the job. The company has seen a trend towards branded uniforms. Its embroidery and printing services allow companies to have their logos added to uniforms, presenting a cohesive, professional look across their teams. “It’s pretty uncommon now for a business that’s not just a backyard operation to not want to look professional,” Kerry says. Southern Workwear employs a skilled team with a roughly 60:40 split between production and front-office staff. u r, s. Cha NEW RANGE COMING SOON AVAILABLE AT VISIT US TO VIEW OUR FULL RANGE OF UNIFORM SOLUTIONS. BISON WORKWEAR IS PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH SOUTHERN WORKWEAR! The Invercargill site houses the production facility, including embroidery and printing operations, while Gore continues as a retail outlet. For Kerry, people are the business’s biggest asset. “The biggest thing is being personal - we’re just down-to-earth humans,” he says. “Being a family business means we can make decisions quickly, without the big-corporate hierarchy.” Customers also value being able to talk to a real person. “Some of our national competitors, you can’t even ring their local branch,” he says. “Our customers can ring us, talk to us in person, come into the shop - they’re always greeted with a smile and helpful staff.” Kerry’s own focus is on sales and marketing, while dad Morris is still able to be found at work on the production floor.
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