How many garments does one person actually need?
Three of anything worn daily. One on, one in the wash, one in the drawer. Fewer than that and somebody is either doing laundry mid-week or turning up in a t-shirt from home, which is the thing branded workwear was meant to stop.
3
Tops per person, daily wear
2
Trousers, most trades
1
Outer layer, replaced rarely
The rule, and where it bends
Three tops, two trousers, one outer layer covers most people in most trades. What moves it is how dirty the work is and how often the person is in front of a customer.
| Situation | Tops | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Office, front desk, showroom | 2–3 | Rarely soiled, but seen constantly. Quality matters more than quantity. |
| Electrician, plumber, engineer | 3 | In homes daily. One dirty polo undoes the impression. |
| Builder, groundworks, scaffolding | 4–5 | Filthy work. Washing does not keep pace with three. |
| Kitchen and catering | 4–5 | Washed after every shift, often on a hot cycle. |
| Care and healthcare | 4–5 | Daily hot wash is the norm and tunics wear accordingly. |
| Warehouse | 3 | Consistent conditions, predictable wear. |
Why buying one each costs more
The instinct on a first order is to buy one of everything and see how it goes. It is the most expensive way to do it, for three reasons that all arrive together about six weeks later.
- You pay postage twice. £9.99 on the first order and again on the top-up, unless the reorder happens to clear £99.
- You miss the volume break. Discounts land at five and ten garments per line, not per order history. Two orders of five never reach the ten-piece price.
- Stock moves. Colours come and go from suppliers. A top-up six weeks later can arrive a shade off the first batch, which on a uniform is worse than useless.
Buying three at once is usually cheaper per wear and always simpler than buying one three times.
How long things actually last
Tops wear out. Outerwear and trousers mostly do not. That asymmetry is worth building a budget around: spend where the wear happens and buy fewer of the things that survive.
A polo washed twice a week is usually ready for replacement inside a year — the collar goes before anything else, and embroidery normally outlives the garment it is stitched into. A softshell or work jacket can run for several seasons, which is why paying more for a decent one is the cheaper decision over three years.
Hi-vis is different again: it is governed by its wash count rather than the calendar, because the reflective banding degrades with laundering rather than with time on the peg.
Sizing a team without measuring everyone
Sizes are the most expensive thing to get wrong, because personalised garments cannot be returned. Your logo makes them unsellable to anyone else, so a wrong size is a write-off rather than an exchange.
Two ways round it. Order a size set and let people try them on, or place the order and collect sizes afterwards — every size from XS to 4XL is the same price, so the total does not change while you chase people for their size.
Questions
Is three tops per person really necessary?+
For anyone wearing one daily, yes. One on, one washing, one spare. Two works only if somebody is doing laundry midweek, and in practice they will wear their own t-shirt instead.
Do I need to order the same number for everyone?+
No. Order per line rather than per person — six polos, four trousers, two softshells if that is what the team needs. Sizes can be collected after ordering, at the same price whatever the size.
Should I buy spares for new starters?+
One or two in the sizes you already know you use. Not a year of stock — colours change and your logo may not. A spare polo in medium and large covers most arrivals.
Is it cheaper to reorder monthly or buy a year at once?+
Buying properly once beats drip-feeding. You pay postage each time, miss the volume break, and risk a colour shift between batches.
What about trousers?+
Two pairs suits most trades. They outlast tops considerably and are usually not decorated, so there is no logo to age.
How quickly can I get a top-up order?+
Typically ten days, most posting inside seven, and we keep your spec on file so a reorder is the same garment, colour, logo and placement as last time.
Work out the real number for your team
Set the headcount and the kit, and the per-head price moves with it. No quote form, no waiting.