The automotive industry is a difficult one for automotive apparel. The uniforms need to allow for freedom of movement while at the same time providing for some defense against workplace injuries. It also needs to be easily cleaned despite being in the oil and other caustic fluids all day long. They also need to look good no matter what. While this does make creating uniforms for the industry difficult, it does make for some good-looking uniforms that make life a lot easier for the mechanics. While it can be difficult to find just the right uniform, it does nonetheless make for some great uniforms.
The Need For Thickness
Automotive apparel needs to allow for some protection from environmental issues as well as from the tools themselves in some cases. A garage has a number of potential sources of injury and all of these need to be allowed for. This can mean a wide range of caustic liquids as well as sharpened pieces of metal. Also, the tools themselves can create problems, especially if the garage has a torch. It does not help that the vehicles themselves represent a source of the injury itself, from heated metal to hot steam. All of these factors mean that the uniforms need to provide for some protection from a wide variety of potential issues, requiring it to be thickness.
Freedom of Movement
A garage also requires that the mechanics have some freedom of movement. Not only do they need to be able to go into some very tight spaces, but they also need to be able to stretch as well. They need to be able to easily to lift items, and it needs to be thin enough to allow from some breathability. Automotive apparel needs to be able to be worn throughout the entire day and still survive the drive home. This can make the outfit very versatile while at the same very comfortable for wear for the entire shift.
Easily Maintained
The outfit is going to get stained at some point; this is just part of the job. This does not mean that the outfit should not nonetheless be allowed to have some stain-resistant properties; this has made the automotive apparel manufacturers do some research into a fabric that is thick while allowing for freedom of movement, while at the same time being able to shrug off most stain-causing liquids. The uniforms are thus great when it comes to shedding liquids like oil and anti-freeze liquids while at the same time being easily cleaned in a standard washer.
Additional Features
Another issue that automotive apparel manufacturers need to allow for is that it needs to be a back-up tool belt; a mechanic sometimes cannot wear his belt but still needs a place to put their tools within easy reach. This is why so many automotive uniforms have extra straps and loops in order to carry those tools. Most uniforms are also to get out of in case the mechanic is part of a huge spill and needs to get out of the uniform in a hurry; the zipper needs to work and be big enough to grasp even if the mechanic is wearing gloves.
Automotive apparel is able to deal with all of these problems while still looking fashionable. The manufacturers are always looking for ways to improve their uniforms, and most of that research goes into automotive uniforms because of all the challenges that they need to deal with. This makes those uniforms the cutting edge of uniform technology, something that the mechanics appreciate when they have a difficult job to deal with while on the job.