Portwest Branded Workwear & Hi-Vis
Hi-vis · PPE · Workwear · Branded in Birmingham
Portwest branded workwear and hi-vis
Certified hi-vis, workwear and PPE with your logo on it, decorated in-house and delivered UK-wide. We know where a logo can legally go on a hi-vis garment. Most suppliers do not.
Why site managers ask for Portwest
Portwest started in 1904 as a drapery shop in Westport, County Mayo. It is still owned and run by the Hughes family, and it has grown into one of the largest protective workwear manufacturers in the world, with around 5,100 staff and distribution into more than 130 countries.
What that scale actually buys you is boring and valuable: consistency. When you reorder the same trouser in eighteen months' time it is still the same trouser, in the same colour, in the same fit. Anyone who has tried to top up a team's kit from a supplier who quietly changed their spec knows exactly how much that is worth.
The second reason is range depth. Hi-vis, flame-resistant, waterproof, base layers, trousers, softshells, gloves, helmets and safety footwear all come from one manufacturer, so a crew's kit matches head to toe and you are dealing with one supply chain rather than five.
Putting a logo on hi-vis: the bit nobody explains
This is where most branded hi-vis orders go wrong, and it is the reason to buy it from a decorator rather than a box-shifter.
Hi-vis garments are certified to EN ISO 20471. The certification depends on the garment carrying a minimum area of fluorescent background material and a minimum area of retroreflective tape. Those minimums are what the class number means:
| Class | Minimum retroreflective material | Minimum fluorescent background | Typically |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 0.10 m² | 0.14 m² | Hi-vis trousers worn on their own |
| Class 2 | 0.13 m² | 0.50 m² | A sleeveless hi-vis vest |
| Class 3 | 0.20 m² | 0.80 m² | A sleeved hi-vis jacket, or a combination worn together |
A logo printed on the fluorescent area covers that fluorescent area, so its size is deducted from the garment's minimum surface calculation. Put a big enough logo in the wrong place and you can push a Class 3 jacket below Class 3. Print over the retroreflective tape and you have compromised the part of the garment that does the work at night.
So here is how we handle it. We keep logos proportionate, we place them on non-fluorescent contrast panels wherever the garment has them, and we never decorate over reflective tape. On most hi-vis garments that means a chest logo on the contrast band and a back logo sized to sit between the tapes rather than across them.
If the certification class matters for your site, tell us when you ask for the quote and we will confirm the class of the specific garment and keep the decoration inside it. If your risk assessment requires the garment to stay certified as supplied, we will tell you that too, rather than take the order and let you find out later.
What you get when you order it from us
- Free logo mockupSee your artwork on the actual garment, in the actual colour, before you commit to anything.
- No setup fee on DTF, everFull-colour print with no origination charge, however many colours are in your logo.
- Free embroidery digitisation over £100Otherwise a one-off £15, and we keep the file so reorders never pay it again.
- Supplied and decorated in-houseOne supplier, one contact, one invoice. Nothing gets sent out to a third party.
- Low minimum orderKit out a crew of five or five hundred, and come back for a single reorder.
- Kitting out UK businesses since 1999Over 25 years on our own embroidery and print machines in Birmingham.
The Portwest styles we brand most
Grouped by the job they do. The tag on each card is the decoration method we would recommend.
Hi-vis
Hi-vis two-band vest
The cheapest way to get a compliant, branded crew on site. Goes over whatever people are already wearing, so it works for visitors, subbies and anyone you need identifiable today. We size the print to sit clear of the tape.
Hi-vis executive vest
The zipped, smarter vest. This is the one for site managers, supervisors and anyone who has to look like they are in charge while still being visible. Branding here reads as identification rather than uniform.
PW3 hi-vis t-shirt
Summer on site. A hi-vis tee means the crew stays compliant without wearing a vest over a soaked shirt all afternoon, which is the main reason vests get taken off and left in the van.
PW3 hi-vis polo shirt
Where the crew meets the client. A collar changes how a team is read on a customer's premises, and the PW3 cut avoids the boxy look that makes hi-vis polos unpopular with the people wearing them.
PW3 hi-vis winter jacket
The proper winter layer. This is the garment that decides whether your crew is still working properly at four o'clock in January, and an embroidered chest logo on it survives years of wear and washing.
Hi-vis short sleeved polo
The value hi-vis polo. When you are kitting out a large crew and the PW3 range takes the budget past where it needs to be, this does the same job for a good deal less.
Everyday workwear
Combat trousers
The sensible default work trouser. Multi-pocket, hard wearing, and priced so that giving everyone two pairs is not a conversation. An embroidered thigh-pocket logo is the usual placement.
WX2 stretch trade trousers
The upgrade. Stretch fabric is the single change that trades notice most, because it is what makes kneeling and climbing all day tolerable. If your team complain about their trousers, this is the answer.
DX4 polo shirt
The technical, modern-looking polo for trades who are in customers' homes. There is a women's cut in the same range, which matters more than people expect on a mixed team.
Euro work coverall
One garment over everything, which is why it stays the standard for spraying, plant and dirty work. A large printed back is the placement that actually gets your name seen on a site.
Outerwear
Print and Promo softshell
Portwest designed this one to be decorated, with clean panels and no seams running through the logo area. If you want a branded softshell and nothing else about the garment matters, start here. It is the best value in the range for its job.
WX2 two-layer softshell
The step up, and the layer most crews live in from October to April. Embroidery on a softshell chest is the placement that reads as a proper company rather than a promotional giveaway.
WX2 fleece
The mid layer. Cheap enough to give everyone, warm enough to be worn constantly, and it matches the rest of the WX2 range on colour so a full kit looks deliberate.
Prices shown are for the garment before decoration. Decoration is quoted with your order and depends on the method, the logo size and the quantity. There are women's cuts across the PW3, DX4 and Professional ranges. Browse the full Portwest range →
The PPE we supply alongside it
These do not get decorated, for obvious reasons. But they come from the same manufacturer on the same order, which saves you running a second supplier for the things that keep people safe.
Safety footwear, gloves, helmets, eyewear and flame-resistant garments are supplied as certified by the manufacturer and we do not alter them. If you need a specific standard for a site or a tender, tell us and we will confirm it before you order.
How we brand it
Embroidery
Our Tajima twin-head and 15-head machines. The right call for softshells, fleeces, polos and jackets, and for anything that goes through industrial washing. Stitch does not crack or lift the way a poorly applied transfer does. We hold your digitised file, so reorders for new starters match exactly.
DTF print
Full colour with no setup fee, whatever the colour count. This is what we use for hi-vis vests, large coverall backs, and any logo with gradients or fine detail. On hi-vis we size and place it to stay clear of the reflective tape.
Names and roles
Individual names on the chest, trades on the back, or a site or contract name added to a standard kit. Common on larger crews and easy to add to any order, since there is no per-name setup on print.
Who we kit out in Portwest
Construction and civils
Full crew kit from vest to boot, reordered as people join and leave, with the class confirmed for the site.
Groundworks and highways
Class 3 outerwear for anyone near live traffic, branded without touching the certification.
Trades in customers' homes
DX4 polos and stretch trousers, because the kit that turns up at someone's front door is doing sales work.
Warehousing and logistics
Hi-vis vests and polos in volume, plus gloves and footwear on the same order.
Facilities and grounds maintenance
Waterproofs, fleeces and coveralls for teams who work outside in whatever the day brings.
Manufacturing and engineering
Coveralls, flame-resistant garments and hand protection from one manufacturer and one invoice.
Why buy it from Brand Me Now
Questions we get asked
Can you print a logo on hi-vis without voiding the certification?
Yes, if it is done properly. EN ISO 20471 sets a minimum area of fluorescent background and retroreflective material for each class, and a logo printed on the fluorescent area is deducted from that minimum. We keep logos proportionate, place them on non-fluorescent contrast panels where the garment has them, and never decorate over reflective tape. Tell us the class you need to hold and we will keep the decoration inside it.
What is the difference between Class 1, 2 and 3 hi-vis?
It is the amount of visible material. Class 1 needs at least 0.10 m² of retroreflective and 0.14 m² of fluorescent material, Class 2 needs 0.13 m² and 0.50 m², and Class 3 needs 0.20 m² and 0.80 m². In practice Class 1 is hi-vis trousers alone, Class 2 is a sleeveless vest, and Class 3 is a sleeved jacket or a combination worn together. Anyone working near live traffic normally needs Class 3.
Do you do both embroidery and DTF printing in-house?
Yes. We run embroidery and DTF print on our own machines in Birmingham, alongside screen print, DTG and heat transfer. We choose the right method for your garment and your logo, and we never send decoration out to a third party.
Is there a minimum order?
No real minimum. We will kit out a crew of five as happily as five hundred, and you can reorder a single item for a new starter without paying setup again.
Can you supply the boots and gloves too?
Yes. Safety footwear, gloves, helmets and eyewear come from the same manufacturer on the same order and the same invoice. We supply those as certified and do not alter them.
Will the logo survive industrial washing?
Embroidery will, which is why we recommend it for anything that goes through a hot wash regularly. A properly applied DTF print holds up well too, but on garments washed at high temperature several times a week, stitch is the safer choice and we will say so.
Do you do women's fits?
Yes. Portwest has women's cuts across the PW3 hi-vis, DX4 and Professional ranges. They cost the same and they fit properly, and on a mixed crew it is worth ordering them rather than handing out small men's sizes.
How fast can you turn an order around?
It depends on the decoration method, the quantity and stock on the day. Tell us your deadline when you ask for the quote and we will tell you straight away whether it is achievable, rather than taking the order and letting you find out later.
See your logo on it, free
Send us your artwork and tell us what the crew needs. We will come back with a mockup on the actual garment, a straight price, and confirmation of the hi-vis class if that matters for your site.
Anil Kenth · anil@brandmenow.co.uk · 07973 883 660 · 0121 472 5300