The Importance of People

Working at Impact Trading, , ,

A recent chat in the office revealed why the staff thought Impact Trading was special and unique and why customers choose us over other companies. There were all sorts of obvious reasons like, speed of service, quality, and competitive prices.  Then we came to customer service which was something they all agreed that they were passionate about. 

Our staff were all confident that they gave customers excellent service but actually it was much more than that.  They felt that many of their customers are like friends and family (in fact some of them are!)

An email or call is always a joy because it’s either a previous customer with a familiar name, full of news or a new customer that brings a new challenge and is the start of a whole new relationship.

Our company is all about people –

Our staff with an amazing array of skills and personalities
Our long lasting suppliers with which we have built great relationships
Our manufacturing partners who often feel like they are actually in the business with us and of course……

Our Customers

Apron Strap Style

Bespoke Aprons, Food Industry, Hotel Industry, Made in Britain, , ,

If you are looking for something really unique that makes your brand stand out, apron straps are a great way to make an impression. At Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we are constantly developing new styles with different fabrics and material and colours to fit with our customer’s branding and to create inspiration for new customers. 

Customers can choose stock webbing that’s plain or striped, to completely bespoke webbing that can be printed with a particular image or design. You can even have bespoke webbing that is woven in your brand colours. If webbing isn’t your cup of tea you can have self-fabric straps, which are made from the same fabric as the apron, or a completely different colour or type of fabric to add a little bit of texture or contrast.

Some more unusual options are leather straps which are often made detachable so that they can be removed when washing the apron. If you like the look of leather but need it to be more practical and washable, a faux suede can be used instead which gives you the industrial look. Extra little details include choices from a range of neck sliders, both metal and plastic and adding contrast stitching, bar tacks, studs or poppers.

As well as a choice of interesting fabrics and materials for your apron and straps, you can also choose the style of straps and apron you want.  Standard bib aprons either with or without adjustable straps are a very popular choice, but cross back straps, waist aprons or a completely bespoke design are also available for you to choose from.

Add a Splash of Colour

Jackets,

Larger companies and organisations often come to us looking for sets of work wear that match but can be altered slightly to represent different departments or teams within the organisation. 

One of the options we can offer, are garments which are the same style and design but come in a range of colours. 

If a customer is looking for a more subtle difference then we can provide clothing which has the option of coloured accessories, such as zip pulls, hoodie draw cords and buttons. This is a subtle change which can make a garment easily customised, fit in with branding colours and define different sections within an organisation.

Interchangeable Zip Pulls

For more information visit impacttrading.co.uk

The Michel and Alain Roux Apron

Bespoke Aprons, Food Industry, Made in Britain, , ,

Manufacturer of Bespoke Aprons for Restaurants, Chefs and the hospitality Sector.

We have recently had the honour of working with Maggie from the Michelin star restaurant, The Waterside Inn, in Bray which is run by chef patron Alain Roux.

They were looking for a bespoke, made in Britain apron to sell in the restaurant gift shop and came to Impact Trading with a strong idea of what they wanted. Our design team began transforming the sketch they sent to us full of their bespoke ideas, into a reality.

Every component and detail was thought out, sampled and put together. The apron includes woven labels, printed logo, webbing and a beautifully embroidered motto “Taste, season, taste again”. The navy Pantone colour has been matched throughout, and coordinates perfectly with pastel blue of the apron.

Michel, Alain and Maggie were delighted with the results so the Roux apron went into production here at Impact Trading which is based on the edge of Milton Keynes on beautiful Rose Lane Farm.

The team at Impact Trading loved working on these aprons as they had unique features, such as the embroidery which is much wider than anything we would normally embroider. The aprons also had a many elements which required precise detail, for example the top stitching for the pen pocket within the larger pocket.

Alain and Michel proudly wearing their aprons

These bespoke aprons made by Impact Trading in Britain are available to buy from the Waterside Inn online shop here

Bubble Bros Style

Food Industry, Jackets, Our customer's news, ,

Last year we were lucky enough to provide uniform for a company call the Bubble Bros.  Ben and Joe started their venture in 2015 when they converted a 3 wheeled Piaggio into a Prosecco van which you can hire for events.

From there on they have expanded by adding more vintage vehicles to the fleet.  The Impact Trading team just loved the style of the logo and branding of this company, not to mention the thought of Prosecco!

The jackets the Bubble Bros chose are traditional utilitarian style welding jackets. This style of jacket was around the 1920’s -1950’s in engineering industries such as the railway and steel industries. These jackets are a perfect fit for the Bubble Bros vintage style and we all agree they look absolutely brilliant in them.

The Bubble Bros showing off their new jackets!

To buy a bubble brother’s jacket from their website just click here

Work Wear Uniform Trends

Bespoke Aprons, Food Industry, Hotel Industry, Made in Britain, , , , ,

For a long time hospitality wear has remained very stagnant, traditional black trousers and skirts, white shirts and blouses were the simple, go to outfit.

I remember as a student I worked as a waitress casually for a catering company and also in a cafe and restaurant, for each job it was a staple items in my wardrobe.  For employers it was an easy uniform option, something that staff would already have or could easily get.

In the last few years at Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we have a noticed a big change, both in office wear and hospitality uniform. Office wear has started to move away from suits and ties to smart trouser and open collar shirts.  Dress down Friday is becoming common place in many offices and branding and web agencies actively encourage relaxed and individual clothing in order to create an inspirational environment.

Hoteliers and restaurateurs have also started to realise that uniform plays a significant part in the overall branding and is an important part of the experience for customers. 

Bespoke Denim Apron with Faux Suede Cross Back Straps

At the moment we are noticing a huge trend towards an industrial feel in restaurants and hotels. Lots of hard surfaces in different textures such at concrete, wood and metal.  The uniforms reflect the industrial revolution era with braces, flat caps, waistcoats which then have a modern twist of jeans and chinos to go with them.

Hard wearing fabrics such as canvas, denim and leather feature heavily within this look.

This break away from the conservative traditions of black and white means that staff uniforms and venues can really stand out from the crowd and provide customers with a completely immersive experience.

For more information on branded uniform and bespoke aprons please call Impact Trading on 01908 511395 or email [email protected]

Fairtrade Fortnight 2019

Ethical & Sustainable Garment Certification, Fairtrade Clothing, Organic stuff, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade
Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 25th Feb -10th March 2019

Fairtrade fortnight is run for two weeks each year when campaigners, businesses, schools and groups show their support for the farmers and workers who grow our food, crops and manufacture our clothes in developing countries, people who live in some of the poorest countries in the world and who are often exploited and badly paid.

At Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we supply many businesses and groups with Fairtrade Organic clothing and have a wide range of colours in t shirts, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies as well as children’s clothing. 

We also supply beautiful heavyweight Fairtrade, Organic cotton Aprons. 

All of these products can be printed and embroidered with your branding or supplied plain.

For more information please visit:

www.impacttrading.co.uk
www.cottonroots.co.uk

Feel Good Manufacturing

Recycled, , , , , ,

I have been working for Impact Trading and Cotton Roots for just over a year and right from the start; in fact a long time before I started I knew what they did.

They supply uniform, print, embroidery and also bespoke garments including aprons. Yes, that’s right!

But what I didn’t know is all the other little things they do that make this place quite unique.  In fact when I started asking the team all the ways they reuse, recycle and try to reduce, it had become so normal for them that they were struggling to even think of them.

Katt and Liz save all their fabric scraps and at the same time Karen, Ros and Kelly save the middle of the thread roles, all this is donated to local schools and groups for arts and crafts, while courier bags are used by one of our suppliers to separate stock which drives us slightly crazy, they are completely unused so we donate them to local friends and businesses.

Karen revealed today that metal collar clips that come off some of the dress shirts work perfectly as paperclips and cardboard inserts are kept to put at the top of packed boxes before they are sealed, this keeps the garments are protected when the box is opened.

All the boxes that come into warehouse are reused and we don’t stop there! We are currently talking to suppliers about reducing packaging on orders we receive and Tina and her team in the office are encouraging customers to select the no plastic packing option or at the very least, multi bagging which means we are constantly reducing our plastic usage.

As you would expect we also recycle everything that we can’t reuse and we are constantly looking for more ways to reduce, reuse and recycle which includes the development of biodegradable box bags which we hope to be introducing very soon.

No More Curly Collars

Uncategorized
Image Shows Underneath Collar Stiffener

Some of our customers really love a nice flat collar on their polo shirts.  After washing collars sometimes needs extra ironing to keep a smart look and prevent “curling”.

Our new Spa polo shirts solves this problem.  The collars have invisible tipping which holds the shape of the collar.

Manufactured in Portugal for us, to exacting standards, made with 50% cotton and 50% polyester in a fine quality pique knit.  The weight of the fabric is 210gsm and has a dense quality knit.

These are soon to be added to our catalogue and the minimum order will be 20 polo shirts.  This can be a mix of colours and sizes.

Of course they can be embroidered or printed with your logo or design.

Give Susan and call on 01908 511933 or email [email protected]