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2014
We Do Workwear, or Direct Print & Promotions as it was called back then, was formed in October 2014 by me, James Smith & my Dad Alex.
Working from a tiny spare room in our house we began buying and selling print materials such as flyers, banners and booklets. I would do the design work and Alex would sort out the sales and invoicing side of things.
I was always eager to have my own equipment so started to make small investments in heat presses and printers. This quickly evolved into printing hundreds of phone cases each day and gave us an insight into merchandise and other revenue streams like customised clothing.
2016
After 2 years in the home office and running out of room we decided to take things more seriously. In 2016 we rented some office space at Sheaf Bank Business Park which helped us breathe a little and further invest in more machinery. We took on our first salesperson and a part time production member to free me up from printing and let me focus more on growing the business.
Here we invested in our first embroidery machine, this gave us great insight into how embroidery works and how to embroider various workwear and merchandise products.
2017
After a successful year in Unit C1, where our operations flourished, it became evident that we were quickly outgrowing our space. In 2017, recognizing the need for expansion, we relocated to a larger unit within the same business estate. This move not only quadrupled our available space but also provided us with the opportunity to welcome more team members into our growing family and make substantial investments in state-of-the-art equipment.
2020
Fast forward to 2020, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly finished us, causing a significant loss of orders almost overnight. However, amidst the challenges, we identified new opportunities to adapt and serve emerging needs.
We printed a large amount of face masks and even supplied high-vis vests to some national COVID-19 testing sites, demonstrating our commitment to supporting pandemic efforts. We also found some customers still needed customised clothing for their online retail stores.
During this challenging period, we created hundreds of pin badges, donating all the profits to the NHS. This initiative not only kept us engaged but also allowed us to contribute meaningfully to the well-being of our community.
2022
In February 2022 after a tough couple of years rebuilding the business we decided to take the leap and move into our current Unit, H12. This gave us 4,000 sq ft of space over two floors and would let us seriously move forward growing the business and strengthen our offering to our loyal customers.
While moving into the new unit we also launched a fully ecommerce website that allowed customers to choose and customise their own clothing and merchandise. This is no mean feat it took over 12 months to fine tune and is still an ongoing project!
October 2022 was an exciting time as we invested in our very first DTF (direct to film) printer with automatic curing oven and extraction unit. This rapidly increased our turnaround time from 2 weeks to just 5 working days. It also helped us to massively reduce our print prices. Our DTF printer is capable of printing 10 metres per hour that is 350 linear meters every week!
2023
At the end of last year, we were pleased to be able to double our embroidery capacity taking us up to 10 Melco embroidery machines.
One of the advantages of our setup lies in its versatility. We have the capability to simultaneously produce 10 different logos or focus on replicating a single design across all machines. This flexibility positions us as a dynamic player in the market, enhancing our responsiveness to orders of varying sizes and complexities.
Furthermore, our machines can collectively churn out an impressive 1,750+ logos every week.
2024
In January 2024 we rebranded the company from Direct Print & Promotions to We Do Workwear. As you have read, we have changed a lot over the years. We have invested heavily in people, machines and software. We have become more of a dedicated workwear and merchandise provider.
Rebranding the company was not an easy decision to make. It took a lot of thought and planning, but we are proud of what we have built as a team.
We have a strong family ethic and provide a high-quality service with our customers at heart. We supply top quality products at competitive prices. This is reflected in our continuous growth over the years.
Over the last two years we have taken on more team members making us a strong team of 8 people. With 4 people in production and 4 in the sales office we are ready to push further forward and take on more new customers.
Thanks for reading and if we can help your business with custom workwear and merchandise, please get in touch. We would love to work with you.
James Smith,
Director
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0114 398 9454
Monday - Friday: 9am-5pm
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