The
Challenge
This was a technical workwear project for a global logistics and distribution company, designed to support warehouse operatives who needed visibility, comfort and hands-free access to their work tablets during shifts.
The brief was to develop a reversible hi-vis jacket that met ISO Class 2 safety requirements, included fluorescent fabric and reflective tape, and could also be worn as branded fleece workwear when operatives were away from the warehouse floor.
This was not a “stick a logo on a jacket” kind of project.
The product had to balance safety standards, warehouse practicality, wearer comfort and a tablet-carrying system that could work in real life, not just on a drawing.
The original concept included built-in adjustable straps to hold a GXO warehouse tablet at the front of the jacket. The tablet also needed to be removable so it could be used on forklift trucks, which meant the system had to be secure, flexible and safe for operatives moving around a busy warehouse environment.
The straps needed to be adjustable, detachable and neatly stored away when not in use. Early development explored magnetic pad options, but testing showed they were not strong enough to hold the tablet securely. There was also a potential safety concern around magnets and pacemakers, so that route was ruled out.
Then came the very real-world bit: after wearer trials in the GXO warehouse, feedback showed that the jacket was too warm and bulky for the majority of the team, who were working indoors.
Useful feedback. Slightly annoying timing. Very normal product development.
The
Solution
We developed the product through a specialist workwear factory with experience in police workwear, riot wear and protective garments.
The original reversible jacket was designed with a fluorescent woven outer, reflective tape, branded GXO details and an inner microfleece layer that allowed the jacket to be reversed and worn away from the warehouse floor.
For the tablet system, we developed adjustable straps stitched into the collar and secured through belt-loop style channels to keep the tablet in position for health and safety reasons. The straps used detachable magnetic clip closures, with storage slots built into the garment so they could be tucked away when not required.
After GXO’s warehouse trials, the product was reworked into a sleeveless reversible gilet. We removed the fleece liner, replaced it with a lighter woven lining and used the same fabric to bind the armholes, reducing bulk and heat while keeping the core function of the product intact.
The project progressed through development and first fit sign-off, with the next stage being approval to move into PP size set.
Why it didn’t move into production....
The product did exactly what development is supposed to do: it uncovered the real-world issues before bulk production.
The original jacket concept was trialled, the wearer feedback was clear, and the design was reworked into a lighter sleeveless gilet that made far more sense for the warehouse team. So from a product point of view, the development had done its job.
Unfortunately, the project was being managed through an intermediary rather than directly with the end client, and the commercial route became too messy to take forward into production.
Or, in very plain English: the garment wasn’t the problem. The route to market was.
Thank g*d for Fazane Fox
Because sometimes the product you start with is not the product the workforce actually needs.
This project is exactly why technical development matters. The idea was clever, but the real work was in making it wearable, practical, compliant and safe in a working warehouse environment.
We helped turn a functional concept into a properly considered piece of workwear, testing the details that could have caused issues later: heat, bulk, tablet security, detachable components, strap storage, wearer comfort and safety risks.
In other words, we did the bit between “great idea” and “yes, people can actually wear this for a full shift without wanting to launch it across the warehouse.”
"The FFPA understand product governance like no-one else. That is why they are able to take really complex start-up concepts, and hold founders hands through the process to the point of execution of beautifully made products every time!"
LUCY / DESIGNER / GXO CONCEPT
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