Innovative work clothing

THE workforce has seen a steady rise in the employment of women in non-traditional roles over the last five to 10 years and CEO and founder of Green Hip Workwear, Liv Thwaites, identified a gap in the Australian market well before her time.

Women deserve the same rights to quality, well-fitting uniforms and work clothes that make them feel confident and safe and therefore united with their community.

Aligning with that, Green Hip provides women with clothing that expresses their sense of worth and enhances their sense of identity.

Through clever design and fabric development, Green Hip allows all women to work in comfort, safety and style in a tailor-made fit for all women in the workforce.

Green Hip recognises that clothing is the visual validation of a person’s sense of identity, the outward expression of a person’s sense of worth and provides design and style which complements a woman’s self expression.

Celebrating women every day is at the forefront of Liv and her employees’ minds.

“For decades, women working in male-dominated industries have had to suck it up and wear ill-fitting menswear,” she said.

“This inequality is what drives us to grow our stockists and online customer base. Women feel seen and heard and valued as a member of the workforce when they have the appropriate work clothing. It’s no longer okay for women to be expected to wear men’s or unisex clothing.”

Liv began her working life in horticulture in 1997, including travelling and working internationally before the pandemic.

She has first-hand experience of wearing ill-fitting workwear.

Identifying this need for women’s workwear that was appropriate for women, Liv began researching and communicating with colleagues and other women from a range of industries and job types.

Discovering that many women shared the same frustration, desire and need for essential work clothing that allowed them to work in comfort and safety, she set about rectifying the problem.

After considerable product development and establishing a supply chain, Liv launched Green Hip in 2010.

The company has been successfully growing for more than 10 years and has around the country, although predominantly in Victoria the growth is in line with plans to expand domestically and internationally.

Located in Geelong, Green Hip is a 100 per cent female owned and operated business.

“We are a rapidly growing business and looking for new team members, especially in sales given the growing rate of enquiry,” Liv said.

“It is a passion of mine to provide all women with work clothing that expresses their sense of worth and enhances their identity.

“Through an increased stockist list, Green Hip is giving women all around the country access to try and buy work clothes in bricks and mortar stores.

“In the past women have been expected to order in or buy what ever – usually men’s clothing – few options have been available to them.”

Green Hip is tremendously proud to be the sole provider of women’s work trousers for the Forrest Fire Management Crew who work for the Department of Land Water Planning.

“Many women let us know they love wearing the range whether in a work situation, on the site, in the office or simply at home, Green Hip can be worn from weekday and weekend,” Liv said.

Green Hip recently launched their ‘All Women’ Overalls which are a standout for equality and diversity.

The overalls have pre, during and post maternity functionality and allow women to work and wear comfortable clothing right up to full-term pregnancy.

In the past many women have had to move to lighter duties because they don’t have the appropriate work clothes.

“This is an exciting step forward for women in the workforce and our retailers are loving how they can efficiently fit out their female customers.

Not only is the fabric efficient and durable, it is also, as a matter of design, soft.

Time and time again our retailers are reporting to us how happy their customers are now they can purchase clothing especially designed for them,” Liv said.