Greetings to all Dimex people and everyone reading my post.
Since I’ve never written a blog before, I’m now happy to be a Dimex blogger. Many thanks to Tuire, who suggested the idea to me.
In my post I reflect on what is considered important in workwear in Estonia, what the preferences and perceptions are regarding the use of workwear, how they have changed over time and what differences there are compared to the Finnish market.
I’ve worked in the workwear sector for eight years now, originally at Katimex, a Dimex subsidiary, and since autumn 2012 at Dimex. Although you might assume I know this field and its markets inside out, I would say that as the world keeps changing, so do work clothes, how they are used and everything related to them. I therefore can’t allow myself to be surprised by developments; I have to be constantly ready to adapt to new conditions and issues that may arise or have already arisen in my field.
If you compare the time when I entered the workwear sector with the present day, you can see that both the models and customers’ expectations have changed significantly, and the general market situation is now completely different from back then.
After Estonia regained independence in the early 1990s, people had little money and there was a shortage of work, so workwear was the last thing anyone needed, especially as most employees had no prior experience of using separate work clothes. I assume that conscious use of workwear in Estonia began at the end of the last century, when the first profitable sewing workshops emerged that also produced workwear, and small companies started importing used work clothes from the Nordic countries and selling them.
During the period of economic growth, when business activity picked up, the use of workwear also increased significantly. This was influenced by new companies in the construction, real estate and industrial sectors. A key aspect of workwear use in the early 2000s was standing out from the crowd. This stemmed from the desire to be distinctive and to differ from competitors also in appearance. The majority of workwear companies offered almost every client company the opportunity to order models made to measure according to their wishes, sizes and preferences, or even a fully tailored collection. The main criterion in choosing workwear was not how safe, durable or functional it was, but who looked the most efficient and impressive.
In a country the size of Estonia, where statistics show that 75 percent of companies have 5–15 employees, it is not possible to offer special solutions – i.e. tailor‑made sewing services – to everyone, especially when it comes to workwear. I assume that both in Estonia and Finland, workwear is one of the first expense items to be saved on and cut during a recession. The downturn changed practices so that companies which survived and continued to buy workwear made their choices not only based on price, but also on functionality, comfort, durability and availability – in other words, short delivery times. Purchasing decisions began to favour workwear suppliers who had a ready‑made collection and whose products were immediately available from stock. The same attitude continues today, and Dimex’s concept also meets these criteria. That’s why I see good growth potential for Dimex in the Estonian and Baltic markets. Dimex has designed a very competitive collection. New models are developed and old ones improved every day, and our product range meets most customers’ requirements.
Although we Estonians and Finns are close neighbours and related peoples, we are not exactly the same and don’t always like the same things – including in workwear. Over the years we’ve noticed that while Finns are happy to use all kinds of work trousers – from the simplest to those with hanging pockets – Estonians prefer bib‑and‑brace overalls. This is also reflected in the fact that the best‑selling products in Estonia this year are precisely bib‑and‑brace overalls. The main argument Estonians give in their favour is that they warm the back :) . Another subjective observation of mine has to do with winter jackets. In Estonia, a winter jacket without a hood is not acceptable, whereas in Finland a hood doesn’t seem to be quite as important, at least that’s how it feels to me. Fortunately, Dimex is a progressive, evolving and flexible company that takes customer wishes into account: if necessary, we’ll add a hood to a jacket or remove hanging pockets the customer doesn’t need.
For all the reasons mentioned above, I believe that there will always be suitable outfits among Dimex workwear – not only for Finns and Estonians, but for all of Europe and maybe even the whole world. Dimex is a strong brand, and with good products we could succeed in entering the market of any country. THE WORLD IS OPEN! :)
Best regards,
Taivo Lõhmus
Country Manager
taivo.lohmus@dimex.fi
