April 17-18th will see the UK’s biggest ever event solely dedicated to showcasing the world’s best workwear, personal protective equipment (PPE) and corporate clothing. Taking place at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, the Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show is a truly international event set to attract more than 2000 visitors and exhibitors from over 20 countries, from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, China and the USA.

Now in its fifth year, the Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show, according to the organisers, has become the number one event in the industry’s calendar and a must-attend occasion for global manufacturers, buyers, suppliers and everyone with an interest in any aspect of commercial workwear, corporate clothing and PPE. 

Such is the prestige of the show that it is preparing to host a large trade delegation from China for the first time. The China Workwear Association (CWA) has booked 19 stands at this year’s show, to showcase the very best of what China has to offer. 

Organisers say the Chinese delegation represents a huge opportunity for European suppliers attending the exhibition as there has been significant demand in China for European goods in recent years and in particular, the Chinese have an enormous appetite for British workwear and clothing.   

Wang Yaomin, Chairman of the CWA, commented: “In the past decade, China’s workwear industry has seen significant development in areas such as designing, manufacturing and brand creation and the industry is now estimated to be worth some £23billion, approximately ten times the value of the European market.

“Members from the CWA are looking forward to taking part in April’s Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show to explore the European market, get first hand information about suppliers and forge new business partnerships.’

The USA will also be represented at the event by Safety Focus Global, a key supplier of high quality PPE and its US partners Dragonwear - a manufacturer of lightweight, breathable, high visibility clothing that is fire-and arc-resistant, Newtex – a leader in high temperature materials for thermal management and fire-protection applications, Nasco – manufacturer of protective outerwear for industrial applications and International Enviroguard – leading manufacturers of disposable protective clothing that mitigates heat stress and offers chemical protection.

“In fact, BP chose coveralls exclusively from International Enviroguard for the clean-up process after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill,” WCCS organisers say.

In addition, New Zealand-based Pacific Brands, which manufactures corporate uniforms for some of the biggest names in the business including  Compass Group, Domino’s Pizza, Friends Provident and the Met Office, will be returning for the second year running after the 2011 show was said to have boosted their profile in the European market.

Alex Percossi from Pacific said: “Pacific Brands is proud to be back exhibiting at the Workwear and Corporate Clothing show in 2012. Our presence at the show in 2011 accelerated awareness in the market of what we have to offer - and we have been successful in being invited to tender by a number of high profile companies and purchasing teams as a result.”

Leading European manufacturers and suppliers of workwear, corporate clothing and PPE will also be in full attendance including Mascot International, Incorporatewear, Tranemo and JAL Group, to name but a few.

Celebrity fashion designer and founder and director of Incorporatewear Jeff Banks exhibited at last year’s show and will be back again this year.

“We would have to be breathing our last breath before we said ‘no’ to coming to the Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show. For our industry it is the equivalent of something like the Motor Show. This is the industry show and we have to be where our business is,” Mr Banks said.

The Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show’s Managing Director Yvette Ashby concluded:

“The fact that the show has attracted so many overseas delegates is testament to the growing importance of the event. The UK is well-placed to host an international event of this calibre – not only is the UK workwear industry worth more than £450m producing more than 32million garments each year, but it has an unrivalled reputation for delivering some of the most innovative and design-led workwear, corporate clothing and PPE in the World.”

The Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show targets more than 200,000 buyers, directors, sourcing and procurement managers and other personnel with direct purchasing influence in relevant business sectors.