I have been involved in product development at Dimex for 17 years. The leap from 2001 to 2018 has been huge. In 2001, our catalog had only 40 different products, this year it has 135. Dimex has always been a pioneer in workwear design. We have made clothes for Finnish men and now we have expanded to include women's and children's models. Good-looking workwear is now also widely used in leisure time.
The saying that everything was better before is not always true. Clothes were previously mainly made of “enstex” fabric, which is a blend of polyester and cotton. Of course, the same fabric composition still works well; it is washable and durable.
Workwear is no longer just a simple blue cotton overall. Every detail is carefully considered and there are many material options. Professionalism is needed to design a functional, good-looking and selling product.
Today, materials have evolved and the range is wide. Workwear is expected to offer almost the same comfort as running tights. In design, we have to take into account different user groups and their specific needs. Previously we focused more on drivers, but today Dimex outfits are used on all kinds of worksites, from construction to clearing and hauling, from factory halls to forests and ports. The best tips and ideas on what to change and what would work better come from the users.
Designing workwear is versatile; it’s not just about drawing clothes. The designer looks for new materials, plans the construction of details and calculates the minutes needed for production – from idea to actual product. The pattern makers and sample seamstresses quickly bring the designer back down to earth if the designs start to float too high and drift into unfeasible solutions. A designer has to be creative, but at the same time keep production costs in mind. You have to find the golden mean where the product looks good, is comfortable to wear and easy to manufacture.
The standards that apply to visible clothing, for example, also present their own challenges to design work. The challenge of design is to get a product that meets the regulations, but still looks like your own company.
No two days are the same in design, you get to challenge yourself every day. You're never done either. That's the beauty of product design, the sky's the limit. Sometimes you can float.
Jaana Voutilainen
Team Manager, Product Development