The Uniformer News: When Uniforms Become the Message (January 2026)
Mon Jan 05 2026
Uniforms are never just clothes. They’re branding, identity, safety equipment, cultural signals, and sometimes a lightning rod.
In this January 2026 news episode of The Uniformer, host Rick Levine (Executive Director, NAUMD) is joined by his fellow uniform nerds and columnists Aileen Out (PrettyBusinessWorld.com) and Leslie Watt McCardle (Fabian Group) for a fast-moving roundtable on the biggest ideas and oddest tensions shaping uniforms and workwear right now.
Topics include:
When politics and uniforms collide, and where companies try to draw the line between personal expression and brand representation
Why mainstream media is suddenly paying attention to workwear, from the Wall Street Journal’s look at American work uniforms to the rise of tactical aesthetics
The messy reality behind “gender neutral” uniform programs, and why the Canadian Army is moving back toward gender-specific fits
A surprisingly tricky inclusion issue: face masks, beards, and safety standards in healthcare and other regulated environments
How new comfort and performance expectations are reshaping rental and industrial laundry programs
It’s part debate, part trend-spotting, and part philosophical rabbit hole, with practical implications for manufacturers, distributors, and anyone building uniform programs in a rapidly shifting world.
Learn more: NAUMD.com/news
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Uniforms are never just clothes. They’re branding, identity, safety equipment, cultural signals, and sometimes a lightning rod. In this January 2026 news episode of The Uniformer, host Rick Levine (Executive Director, NAUMD) is joined by his fellow uniform nerds and columnists Aileen Out (PrettyBusinessWorld.com) and Leslie Watt McCardle (Fabian Group) for a fast-moving roundtable on the biggest ideas and oddest tensions shaping uniforms and workwear right now. Topics include: When politics and uniforms collide, and where companies try to draw the line between personal expression and brand representation Why mainstream media is suddenly paying attention to workwear, from the Wall Street Journal’s look at American work uniforms to the rise of tactical aesthetics The messy reality behind “gender neutral” uniform programs, and why the Canadian Army is moving back toward gender-specific fits A surprisingly tricky inclusion issue: face masks, beards, and safety standards in healthcare and other regulated environments How new comfort and performance expectations are reshaping rental and industrial laundry programs It’s part debate, part trend-spotting, and part philosophical rabbit hole, with practical implications for manufacturers, distributors, and anyone building uniform programs in a rapidly shifting world. Learn more: NAUMD.com/news