We recently sat down with James Shimizu, the Chief Marketing Officer of the Superior Group of Companies (SGC), whose WonderWink^® brand of scrubs is the latest to join the SanMar family.

In the recorded SanMar U podcast, James discusses how our exclusive WonderWink fabric selection makes their products more appealing and describes the most important aspects of product development.

Here are a few helpful selling points from the conversation, along with some fun facts.

“The evolution really, as we said in the beginning, started with fit and fabrication but it’s evolved somewhat in line with where fashion and apparel trends move as well.”
– James Shimizu

WORKFLEX^TM vs. PREMIERE FLEX^TM

The 14-piece WorkFlex Unisex Collection includes tops, pants, a jacket and a scrub cap.

• The Fabric: A poly/cotton blend with built-in mechanical stretch and a very soft hand due to the high thread count. The fabric is also twill-woven, so there is plenty of durability and strength to withstand constant washing.
• The Fit: More traditional and a touch roomier than Premiere Flex styles, which offer more modern designs.

The seven-piece Premiere Flex collection includes tops, pants, and a jacket. Unlike Workflex styles, Premiere Flex scrubs offer separate fits for men and women.

• The Fabric: A poly/rayon blend with built-in spandex for movement and a luxurious hand feel.
• The Fit: More fashion-forward with a trimmer, modern fit. You’ll see a specifically designed men’s set with added design elements like a functioning fly and belt loops.

FIT IS THE FOUNDATION

95% of the scrubs market is designed for women end-users. WonderWink designs primarily for women fits, with the exception of their unisex styles. According to James, “the evolution really, as we said in the beginning, started with fit and fabrication but it’s evolved somewhat in line with where fashion and apparel trends move as well.”

But fashion trends can make fit accuracy for a size range of 2XS through 5XL all that more difficult.

So whereas most brands produce from a garment pattern in size small and grade up using a computer, WonderWink starts with a size small and a size 2XL pattern and grade up to down from there. When you make a garment in size 5XL based on a small pattern, the body proportions will be irreconcilably incorrect. A computer simply cannot take into all the aspects to produce the right fit or determine pockets in the right place on the leg. Their tech designers also fit their prototype patterns on fit models to ensure their patterns are true-to-size.

WonderWink employs this design process across all their unisex, men’s, and women’s collections.

WONDERWINK INDY

WonderWink INDY garments are built specifically for rental programs within the industrial laundry market and they’re sold by CID to industrial laundry accounts.

WonderWink INDY fabric is 100% polyester, wrinkle-resistant, and has mechanical stretch for maximum all-day comfort. It’s available in both women’s and unisex styling. The women’s modern fit is cut closer to the body for a contoured look, while the unisex fit is relaxed and roomy.

COLOR IS A LANGUAGE

Did you know that colors play a big role in the medical industry uniforms? Hospitals and clinics often assign a color uniform to departments and staff roles. Matching colors allow for quicker, easier decipher between nurses, tech specialists, doctors, and administrators. Colors in the medical field have evolved with black quickly becoming a leading color. More clinics and outpatient centers feel that lifestyle colors create a calming environment that feels less like a hospital.

Since both scrub collections share the same eight colors across all styles and sizes, we’re offering customers a complete uniforming package.