When it comes to branding, the team at Dunstable-based Essential Workwear will tell you that quality, everywhere, is everything. From a facemask to a hi-vis jacket, to a smart office shirt, workwear is, in the words of founder George Georgiou, “a living advert for your company” – and the quality of the branding reflects the values of the business itself.
We were lucky enough to get some time in George’s busy schedule recently to learn more about what Essential Workwear does, the company’s successes and ambitions for the future, and – not least – its involvement as Headline Sponsor in the 2025 SME Bedfordshire Business Awards.
Local beginnings, international success story
George started the business in Luton in 1998, with, as he puts it, “me and one machine!” From there, it expanded and relocated several times, subsequently setting up its current factory in Dunstable, where it now employs around 65 people.
A quick look at the company’s website reveals its breathtaking range of workwear products, covering everything from heavy protective gear and PPE to robust work clothes, smart casual wear, and even high-end apparel from labels like Helly Hansen. And all of it can be branded (embroidered or printed) with the client’s own logo and artwork.
What’s striking about the company’s approach is the way it carefully caters for different markets through its organisational and product structure.
Its Essential Branding core business, for example, services mega-clients like Google and Coca-Cola, via agencies, and through its Essential Branding Europe division, the company serves the market on the Continent, with customers including Easy Hotels.
Its Bedfordshire-based Essential Workwear division, for its part, typically addresses companies from 1 – 1,000 employees, both through its own value range of Essential products, and a plethora of other known and trusted product brands.
Proud differences and plans for the future
George sees the business’s stand-out differentiators as being its family-based, close-knit dedication to quality, its understanding of the need to offer helpful human guidance, and its sense of care and customer service.
“We’ve moved with the times and ensured all our products can be ordered and bought online, for maximum convenience,” George says. “But often, our customers need in-depth advice on branding choices to suit their needs and budget, so we’ll always be that specialist that’s available on the end of the phone, or indeed for site visits, to guide our customers through the options.”
“This is particularly important in that 1 – 1,000 employee bracket, as it’s currently very underserved in terms of branding quality, availability, and expertise.”
The past shows that this is not a business to rest on its laurels, and in 2025, George says with a smile, he has “some aggressive plans” for new and larger premises. It makes sense, as demand for PPE is continuing to increase, and, as George points out, “Most companies that need branded clothing also need other forms of branded workwear too – which, of course, we also sell.”
Award sponsors, award winners!
When it comes to the company’s headline sponsorship of the 2025 SME Bedfordshire Business Awards, George is keen to point out that, as a winner of three separate categories in 2019, the company is well acquainted with both the thrill and the publicity value of the programme!
“The fit of our business with the Chamber is really good,” he says. “We regularly attend Chamber events and we’ve also hosted them here, and the Awards are definitely the right choice to promote our business further.”
“We looked at radio advertising and You Tube promotions, but sponsoring the Awards was definitely the best choice for our business to position itself as the go-to supplier of workwear in the region!”
For more information about Essential Workwear please visit www.essentialbranding.com, call 01582 475801 or email sales@essentialbranding.com.
For more information on how to join Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, visit www.chamber-business.com , or call our friendly team on 01582 522448.
