Ildikó Erhard has been involved in the development of CWS workwear for various industries for over 20 years. From sophisticated protective equipment and elegant business clothing to modern workwear collections for trade and industry - Erhard has developed numerous collections. The designer is intensively involved with current and future trends.

Ildikó Erhard is a designer for workwear at CWS, the system provider for workwear. © CWS boco

"We always keep an eye open and follow where the market is heading. I find it exciting to observe how the zeitgeist creeps into something as durable as workwear. Often inspired by developments in fashion, architecture, art and lifestyle. All of this influences current trends and therefore indirectly the expectations of our customers," says Erhard.

Trend 1: Feeling good

Feeling comfortable in your own workwear should be a matter of course, you might think. But in the past, many materials were only designed for durability. Whether the employee felt comfortable in it was of secondary importance. Today's employees want to wear skin-friendly fabrics and want plenty of freedom of movement in their workwear. This is achieved with stretchy materials and stretch inserts. For skin-friendly clothing, the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 has established itself as the world's best-known label for textiles tested for harmful substances.

CWS Marvik: The casual look has been a trend for several years now. © CWS boco

Workwear should now not only look like leisurewear, but also be just as comfortable. The casual look has been a trend for several years now. This has influenced workwear in such a way that it has to have a certain casualness. At the same time, workwear has become much more fashionable. Cuts have developed into a slim fit in all sectors. "A particular challenge lies in the development of the patterns: employees must still have optimum freedom of movement and the clothing must also fit corpulent wearers perfectly," explains Erhard.

Trend 2: non-colors and accents

Employees also want to be dressed in a modern way at work. Color plays a central role in this. The rule is: muted colors such as anthracite are the favorites of most companies. "The trend is clearly moving towards 'less is more'," says the designer. "We have been working increasingly with non-colors such as grey, anthracite and black for some time now. This allows us to use bright colors as an unobtrusive accent. Or vice versa: accents in neutral colors highlight the lines and fit of the garment. The result is a look that emphasizes the logo of the respective company and looks really cool."

Trend 3: Company presentation

When it comes to workwear, more and more companies are focusing on their own corporate image: the clothing is intended to promote the company, for example through logos and corporate design. The color is also often chosen according to the corporate design. "Workwear should look modern and professional and show that the company is always up to date," says Ildikó Erhard.

Trend 4: Sustainability - workwear with a clear conscience

The CWS Profi Line with Fairtrade cotton. © CWS boco

"CWS has been supporting Fairtrade for years," notes Erhard. More and more companies want to present themselves as sustainable, environmentally and socially conscious. Recyclable workwear and materials are a major topic for the future. Sustainable procurement is also playing an increasingly important role, especially for larger companies and in public administration. With workwear such as Fairtrade-certified clothing, companies can improve their own sustainability footprint and show their sense of responsibility by displaying the Fairtrade logo on their clothing. The designer is convinced that the trend towards sustainable workwear will become even stronger in the future. Durable textiles also play an important role, as workwear should last a long time and not have to be constantly disposed of due to a lack of durability. "At CWS, we design long-lasting collections in the rental service, which means they have to look good over a longer period of time. This is a challenge that keeps us creative," explains Erhard.

Trend 5: Intelligent textiles

The most important and obvious expectation of workwear is functionality. In addition to all the functions that good workwear must fulfill - such as sufficient pockets, reflective material, knee pads - the right fabric is crucial for functionality. The trend of the future is called smart textiles. "I can imagine clothing that sounds an alarm before a chemical penetrates the protective clothing, if the wearer's vital signs deviate too much in danger zones or if the room temperature rises sharply," says Erhard. There is a lot of interesting, protective information that smart textiles can communicate to the wearer or even beyond. Self-regulating clothing can already maintain the optimum microclimate on the skin when body temperature and humidity rise so that work clothing does not feel sweaty. This is a decisive criterion for personal well-being.