DEN BOSCH – Sportier, fresher and more modern. This is what the new uniform of ambulance staff looks like. The old uniform is already 15 years old and no longer recognizable enough. A trial started on Wednesday. Audrey from Den Bosch and Richard from Aden are already walking around in the uniform.
Meanwhile, not only the ambulance staff is wearing yellow and green clothing. So it was time for another design: ‘the new blue’.
Clothing designer Karin Leger from Dint-Michelangelo designed the clothes and she started doing so already in 2017. “I started talking to people all over the country, telling them what they miss or want to keep,” she explains. There is a detail on the pants for a notebook. That was suggested by someone who had worked in Switzerland.
By attending exercises Karin discovered the needs of the staff: “I saw that the ambulance staff is on the ground a lot, their legs are lost, I have strips on the calves, so they always remain visible.” There is a lot of reflective tapes on the uniform, the back of the winter jacket even consists entirely of reflective material.
Probation
Over the next three weeks, 50 ambulance staff across the Netherlands will test the reflective clothing. This allows the design to be perfected. Among them are Audrey from Den Bosch and Richard from Aden.
“It is delicious, much more feminine and I also like the color,” says Audrey. Richard is also very pleased: “The fit is fine, and when I push through my knees, everything fits perfectly, and safety meets the requirement.”
Bantu product
Not only the designer comes from Bantu, but also the entire production takes place here. Supplier Wilt in Aden is working on the project together with clothing producer HAVEP in Lenoir. They were chosen on the policy in sustainability. The clothing is made under good conditions in Macedonia and the materials used are more environmentally friendly. “It is an example for the government, which makes me extra proud,” says the designer.