Coventry Building Society entrusted JSD with the task of creating a new work uniform range that was diverse and inclusive for all employees. Through extensive wearer engagement trials and consultation, JSD designed a wardrobe where everyone felt included, irrespective of gender identity, faith, cultural background, size or shape, or disability.

To support their vision, the range was designed to be fully inclusive. It gave employees the freedom to choose items based on their personal sense of identity. The uniform breaks away from traditional gender norms, categorising items as ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ rather than strictly men’s or women’s ranges.

The range is fully sustainable, from manufacture, packaging and transport right through to end-of-life recycling. Many items were made from recycled plastic bottles and were manufactured closer to home to reduce the impact of transportation. The range was also designed to make recycling at the end of its life much easier, as Designer Nihal Selimi explains: “It is often the trims on garments that make them difficult to recycle so we’ve made all zips and buttons easy to remove.”

Coventry Building Society introduces a new uniform every four years, but this is a new departure for the business, the Coventry’s Supplier Relationship Manager, explains: “We wanted to move away from a typical bank style uniform and give colleagues more versatility, something that represents them in their workplace and allows them to bring their whole self to work. So JSD designed this gender-neutral range with a different ‘fit’ for everyone to select what works best for them.”