Dark colors and the manufacturing floor sound like the perfect combo to me! Of course we went with a darker pallet for this outfit so you can keep that fresh look despite any grease you may encounter and hide any sweat stains. However, I just love that little pop of green from the Moldex ear plugs, a company definitely known for style. Who said PPE (Personal Protective Equipment for those who aren’t machinistas) can’t add a little fun? I repurposed a lovely little neon green matching case by Howard Leight Hearing Protection to store the ear plugs.
This is the time in your life where you actually need boot cut jeans for their intended purpose, so why not wear them proudly? Fantastic for those days where you need to wear a full snazzy metatarsal boot instead of just the fashionable steel toe leather upper style (consult your manufacturing floor to know which style you get to rock). These fantastic black shoes are by Genuine Grip and served me well during one of my summer internships on the manufacturing floor. It’s a rarity to find well-fitting female work boots anymore.
Next we have a manufacturing floor classic, safety glasses. Some people many chose to go larger or find some with a dash of color to make a statement, but I am more of a simple safety glasses girl. This design by Uline is not only sleek, but also meets ANSI Z87 standards making this look even more fashionable because (you know if the American National Standards Institute is a fan, it is ready to hit the runway).
Now for manufacturing floors requiring a bump cap, something that legitimately makes hats look better in my opinion, we have a lighter colored Adidas baseball cap to contrast the rest of the darker outfit. What is a bump cap you ask? It’s a piece of certified plastic that goes inside your baseball cap that you wear instead of a hard hat. A wonderful side effect is that it gives your hat an absolutely perfect shape!
For the finishing accessories we have a Target belt, an Abound black sweater allowing you to adapt to colder office conditions from the manufacturing floor heat, Scunci No-Slip headband to keep those loose strands of hair out of your face, and some gloves that do not seem to have a brand name on them at all. These gloves are great for both the manufacturing floor and fabrication shop because of their heat resistance and they just happen to match the lovely color scheme set by your hat.
Love the style you see above? Shop it here!
Belt: Target
Black Sweater: Abound
Blue Crew Cut Shirt: Old Navy
Boot Cut Jeans: Target Mossimo
Ear Plugs: Moldex
Ear Plug Case: Howard Leight Hearing Protection
Safety Glasses: Uline
Baseball Cap: Adidas
Headband: Scunci
Unbranded Bulk Packaged Gloves
In all seriousness, thanks to all the companies I have worked for that have helped keep me safe by giving me all of the above equipment. Dressing for the manufacturing floor as a woman can sometimes be a challenge with really limited work boot selections, the need to always have your hair pulled back, regulations that make you go jewelry-less (including wedding ring-less) at some companies, and sometimes the need for smaller gloves than are not easily found. However, it is worth the process to stay safe. Shout out to Solar Turbines and John Deere for their commitments to my safety while interning for them!
Also, this is the one outfit of the day you will see us post with no Sci Chic jewelry! Why is that you ask? Safety. We do not recommend Sci Chic jewelry for the manufacturing floor. Safety comes before style and dangling jewelry around machines is not safe.
If there is any woman out there that wants advice on other manufacturing floor options, email us and we are happy to give some tips and tricks to dress for the manufacturing world.
-Erin Winick
CEO
