This year marks a significant milestone for Workwear Solutions: our 10th anniversary. In this compelling Q&A article for the PCIAW®, our Founder & MD NatalieWilson reflects on a decade in business shaped by bold decisions, industry expertise, and continuous evolution.
1. Origin & Risk
WSI started from a moment of uncertainty. What do you remember most about that decision to build something of your own, and did you ever imagine it would grow into what it is today?
I remember the specific moment I discussed my initial business plan (supporting suppliers to respond to tenders and developing/sourcing PPE products for them) with a close industry friend. He immediately committed to being my first client and the rest is history!
The company I worked for at the time was owned by an American family business that needed to close its UK operations. Faced with potential redundancy, I was forced into making a decision – do I go back to working for one of the larger uniform companies, having also worked for a micro business, or do I set up something myself?
It’s not been a straightforward journey – I did an MBO of the business I was working for at the time which I ran alongside Workwear Solutions until 2024. Running two businesses instead of one certainly made things complicated but gave me a deep understanding of the challenges of owning a micro manufacturing business and working with offshore factories.
I set up an entirely new business (WSI) and completed the MBO before I turned 33, which looking back seems crazy. I’m grateful I was naïve enough to go for it, as I’m so proud of the way WSI has developed, and the way I’ve handled all the benefits and challenges that have come with running my own growing and dynamic business.
2. Evolution of the Business
Over the last 10 years, WSI has evolved significantly from supporting suppliers to becoming a key partner for buyers. What was a pivotal moment that shaped that transformation?
Without a doubt, winning our first buyer contracts with the Irish Defence Forces and Civil Defence Ireland in 2022 was Workwear Solutions’ pivotal moment.
It was this contract that allowed me to realise the value of my 20 years of personal industry experience and knowledge; account management, operations & warehousing, product development & certification, tendering and supply chain management and auditing. Having previously worked on the supplier side of the industry, I was able to see how I could help specifically address many of the challenges seen in the tender process and contract management, whilst setting expectations and implementing best practice for buyers.
Our contract with the Irish Defence Forces and Civil Defence Ireland has since been extended to August 2026, signifying a reflection of the value of the services we provide to the client. In 2023 Workwear Solutions was honoured with the Best Consultancy & Service Award at the PCIAW® Summit, further affirming that the depth of insight and perspective I had built over two decades in the industry truly carried weight and impact in being a key partner for buyers.
3. Breakthrough Moment
Winning your first major contract with the Irish Defence Forces sounds like a defining moment. How did that experience change your confidence and direction as a business?
It was fascinating to get insight into the buyer side of the tender process for the first time, and it was a real eye-opener in understanding their knowledge and experience of our industry. It was also my biggest personal ‘imposter syndrome’ moment, of which I quickly proved myself wrong! We’ve since built exceptional relationships with our clients and developed technical processes that are now used extensively across Irish public sector procurement.
I remember one of the first tenders we were involved in, where the client (rightly) complained that the responses received didn’t really address their needs. When I reviewed the tender documentation, it became immediately apparent that the issue was with the question set – even I wasn’t sure how I would have responded, and I knew what the client wanted.
This realisation developed into a much wider service offering for WSI – supporting the procurement process not just from a technical product perspective, but importantly in helping specify contract management and supply chain requirements, while establishing question sets that allow tenderers to show the client how their meets can be met.
With our understanding of the challenges faced by suppliers and what best practice looks like, we’ve developed processes that support procurement processes to be more transparent, with robust and data driven outcomes, as well as setting expectations on quality of product and service provision in contracts. We also quickly realised that to provide truly independent services we couldn’t continue to work with suppliers, as it could potentially pose a conflict of interest and put tender processes at risk.
Four years on, we now exclusively work with buyers and provide a range of workwear, uniform and PPE technical and procurement services for military, police, fire, prison service, transport, utilities, and most recently, airline clients.
4. Impact of COVID
You’ve previously mentioned COVID as being a major turning point for the business. How did that period redefine the demand for your expertise?
The Covid pandemic was a major turning point for Workwear Solutions as it became clear that the need for specialist technical expertise of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was desperately required. It seemed the risk management process of PPE (and tendering process) was broken or non-existent.
I was being asked to review product documentation and certification to verify if the products were authentic before our then clients sold to the public sector. There was a disgraceful amount of counterfeit or not fit for purpose PPE being offered to the market, and I spent a significant amount of time after the event being asked to do retrospective assessments of PPE which, in many cases, resulted in items being quarantined and condemned as it wasn’t safe (or legal) to sell or use.
As a result of Covid, suppliers and buyers came to realise just how much they didn’t know about PPE, how complex it is, and the implications for the health and well-being of users if they got it wrong.
The lack of technical knowledge was no longer, or had never been, available in house, and suppliers couldn’t always afford to employ someone with the specialist knowledge I have full-time. We ultimately saw a change in WSI being utilised as an outsourced PPE specialist department.
5. Unique Value Proposition
WSI sits in a unique position between supplier and buyer, with deep technical and procurement expertise. Why is that combination so important in today’s PPE and procurement landscape?
The uniform and PPE procurement landscape has become increasingly litigious over recent years, whilst at the same time there are more legislative and regulatory demands on both buyers and suppliers – from inclusivity for diverse workforces, to EU environmental implications (DPP, ERP etc).
Technical knowledge alone is not enough to support clients, as the procurement process can be inadvertently put at risk if not properly understood in the development of assessment processes. We therefore see our role primarily as to reduce the risk of challenge by providing truly independent technical consultancy services.
PCIAW is an important part of ensuring our team has the most up to date information and knowledge, as well as our roles in Standards and attending industry events, conferences and exhibitions across the world. Staying at the forefront of industry development allows us to understand the changing landscapes that are affecting both buyers and suppliers and therefore uniquely incorporate these new or enhanced requirements in the development of product specifications and the tender process.
Additionally, 3 years ago I was appointed as Chair of PH/3 overseeing all protective clothing and glove standards on behalf of the British Standards Institution (BSI), cementing our specialist knowledge in PPE Standards. Not only do we now have a deep understanding of Standards, but we can futureproof specifications for PPE as we have access to changes and updates in on-going Standards work.
There aren’t enough buyers and users of PPE involved in Standards or technical product committees, so whilst I’m always encouraging more participation through my standardisation work, it also shows how our knowledge remains critical in filling in the Standards gaps for PPE procurement.
6. People & Team
You’ve built a team with an incredible depth of experience. How important have the people around you been in shaping WSI’s success over the last decade?
When I first founded WSI, and for most of the first 5 years of business, it was just me. The business was built on the consistency of my personal approach, knowledge and passion for getting things right, particularly focussing on the needs of the end user.
As the number and variety of projects increased, I begun operating with several consultants who were brought in to support specific tasks on certain projects. However, as the business continued to grow, it became clear that by bringing a team in-house, we would be able to create a more stable platform for our clients, ensuring year-round availability of a CORE team.
Last year was a pivotal change in moving to an employee model, complemented with a wider CIRCLE of specialist consultants – all of whom share the same passion for the business and what we do. Every one of our team knows their value to me, the business and our clients.
We collectively have over 150 years’ experience in PPE, uniforms, textiles and fashion industries, with an enviable blend of deep experience and fresh perspectives. Our team is extremely talented, multi-skilled and work across all areas of the business, but most importantly, we are passionate and committed to the industry.
7. Purpose & Impact
Much of your work directly impacts people in high-risk, life-or-death environments. How does that responsibility influence the standards you set and the way you approach your work?
Our ability to be a trusted advisor for high value, technical and specialist contracts is critical to support our clients working in these environments, and it is the motivation to continuously deliver excellence within these contracts that drives our team. We hold ourselves to the most stringent of quality standards which is reflected in the high levels of trust and exceptional testimonials we have with our clients.
Everything we do for our clients is designed to provide value, and having this focus at our core drives our relationships and ensures we become extensions of our client’s own teams. Our robust processes are uniquely developed with high levels of PPE Standards, compliance expertise and technical product and procurement knowledge, all of which continues to protect users by establishing specifications and conducting certification and test report evaluation, prior to any product going into wearer trial or contract.
During anonymous independent tender evaluations, we have eliminated samples which were below the quality levels expected, did not comply with the CE requirements and were not fit for purpose – for military, police and fire personnel. In almost all cases, without our engagement and knowledge, the clients may not have been aware of these issues until somebody was injured as a result.
The standards we set for protecting those who protect us in high-risk environments are implemented throughout all projects for all our clients, across all industries and product types.
8. Looking Forward/Legacy
Looking ahead, what do you want the next 10 years of WSI to stand for and what kind of impact do you hope to leave on the industry?
I spend a significant amount of time (voluntarily) working on Standards committees and industry Boards to help improve industry processes and product standards, sharing best practice and education for the benefit of the wider industry. I am in the privileged position to be able to implement practical solutions and processes for buyers/end users, but also to implement change at a strategic UK and European standards level.
I’d like my passion and commitment to inclusivity to be my personal impact on the industry, and leading the development of the world’s first Inclusive PPE standard in BS 30417 (I wrote the definition of Inclusive PPE!), was just the start. Looking forward, we are currently in the process of launching a series of innovative support services to help buyers across all sectors implement inclusive PPE initiatives, in line with the principles of BS 30417.
I am also leading inclusive PPE at European (CEN/CENELEC) level, writing a new European Standard and reviewing technical product standards to ensure they meet the needs of inclusive workforces across the UK and Europe.
The next 10 years of Workwear Solutions are destined to be driven by innovative solutions to continue our impact in improving product and services for all, across the industry. As we further grow and diversify our client base, I want to see the bar continually raised for more end users to benefit from higher-quality, more comfortable, appropriately fitting uniforms and PPE, through the continuation of our refined procurement processes, expert technical product knowledge and strategic work in standardisation.
