Capitec has run a rigorous year-long tender process to select just one South African corporate uniform supplier to assist with the design and production of its new uniforms for more than 11 000 Capitec employees countrywide. The goal was twofold: to support local business, and to lessen the environmental footprint of such a huge project by bringing the manufacturing closer to home.
The project was led by Sbusiso Kumalo, Head of Brand Marketing at Capitec, who had a clear idea of what he wanted. “It’s a project that was very close to my heart,” he says. “I’ve spent years listening closely to feedback from employees about their uniforms to find out what they feel most comfortable in. You work 8 hours of the day in your uniform; it should be worn with pride.”
He eventually decided on Image Corporate Wear, a subsidiary of Imagemakers, an established South African company. “They’re Cape Town-based, they’ve been around for a very long time, and they understand corporate wear,” says Kumalo. “We’re adding value to the economy through job creation and supporting the economy and the country as a whole. It’s a proud thing for a business to be designing and procuring garments that are manufactured locally.”
“Capitec employees from the Chris Hani Crossing branch wearing
their new uniforms.”
Capitec wanted to roll out the uniforms across all branches at the same time, so Imagemakers had to hire and upskill an additional 120 people, bringing the number of workers on the job to 500 at any given time. “The first time we heard we had the contract with Capitec, I was so excited. I’m banking with them and my child has a Capitec savings account,” says Pamela Ramsie, a cutter at Imagemakers. “I feel proud that I can be part of their project.”
The new uniform collection is a set of mix-and-match garments that employees can adapt to their specific taste and style. The Capitec branding is subtle: red stitching around the eyelets, branded lining for jackets, and a paisley pattern on the lining of the sleeves and shirt collars. “It’s small detail,” says Kumalo, “but it makes the uniforms distinct and special.”
This post is sponsored, provided and paid for by Capitec.
