Some uniform projects are memorable because of their scale. Others stand out because of the people involved, the technical demands or the pressure of an immovable deadline.

One of the most exciting projects we have undertaken at Uniforms.com.au combined all of these challenges: designing and manufacturing a coordinated range of uniforms for Walkinshaw Andretti United’s NAPA Auto Parts Racing entry ahead of the 2019 Bathurst 1000.

The team required quality uniforms for its team members, media representatives and pit crew. With one of Australia’s largest motorsport events rapidly approaching, there was very little room for delay.

A major motorsport partnership

NAPA Auto Parts was announced as the naming-rights partner of Walkinshaw Andretti United’s 2019 Bathurst 1000 wildcard entry. The resulting NAPA Auto Parts Racing entry featured IndyCar drivers Alexander Rossi and James Hinchcliffe in the No. 27 Holden Commodore.

The apparel brief required us to incorporate branding from major partners including NAPA Auto Parts, Virgin Australia, Orca, NARVA and Bendix. Contemporary Supercars coverage of the NAPA racing livery shows the distinctive blue, yellow, red and white identity associated with the entry.

This was not simply a matter of placing one company logo on a standard garment. The different brands needed to be presented as part of a coordinated team identity across several garment styles and different working roles.

Designing a complete team uniform range

Walkinshaw Andretti United approached us to custom design and manufacture a complete uniform range for the team, media and pit crew associated with the NAPA Auto Parts Racing entry.

The range included:

• Custom sublimated polo shirts
• Softshell jackets
• Branded hoodies

Each garment served a different purpose. The polos provided the highly visible foundation of the uniform. Sublimation gave us the design flexibility required to incorporate multiple colours, logos and sponsor elements into a unified garment design.

The softshell jackets gave the team a coordinated outer layer, while the hoodies provided another practical option for team members working across the event. Although the garments performed different roles, they still needed to look like parts of the same uniform program.

Manufactured from scratch

These were not standard garments with logos added at the end of production. The complete range was manufactured from scratch specifically for the project.

We helped develop the designs before printing the fabric, cutting the individual garment panels and sewing the finished pieces. This gave us control over the overall appearance of the range and allowed the team’s colours and partner branding to be incorporated into each garment from the beginning.

For organisations comparing different approaches to teamwear, our custom uniforms range shows how polos, jackets and other garments can be developed as one coordinated program rather than unrelated individual items.

The challenge of multiple sponsor logos

Motorsport apparel presents a distinctive design challenge. A racing team’s uniform must represent the team while also giving appropriate visibility to its commercial partners.

Every logo has its own proportions, colours and reproduction requirements. Combining several of them without making a garment appear cluttered requires careful design judgement.

The goal was not simply to fit every logo onto the clothing. We needed to produce a cohesive uniform that presented the team and its partners professionally. This is where custom-designed apparel can provide an advantage over adding individual decorations to unrelated off-the-shelf garments.

Working against the Bathurst deadline

The most demanding part of the project was its timing. Bathurst was approaching, and the event date could not move to accommodate apparel production.

The uniforms had to progress from the initial brief through design, printing, cutting, sewing and final completion within a very short timeframe. Urgency did not remove the need for a coordinated result: the team, media and pit crew still needed a complete range that properly represented the organisations involved.

Despite the compressed schedule, we successfully manufactured the complete range within the required timeframe.

What this project taught us

Start with the complete uniform range

Polos, hoodies and jackets should not be treated as isolated products. Considering the entire range from the outset helps maintain consistent colours, branding and visual identity.

Plan sponsor branding carefully

A larger number of logos does not automatically produce a stronger design. Each mark needs an appropriate position and enough visual space to remain recognisable.

Match the garment to the role

Different people within an organisation may need different garments. A pit crew, media team and other team personnel can have different practical requirements while still presenting one recognisable identity.

Treat the deadline as part of the brief

For an event such as the Bathurst 1000, delivery timing is fundamental. Design decisions, approvals and manufacturing all need to be managed around the fixed event date.

A memorable Uniforms.com.au project

For me, this project demonstrated what is possible when custom design, apparel manufacturing and deadline management come together.

We were proud to create a complete uniform range for the team, media and pit crew associated with the NAPA Auto Parts Racing Bathurst entry. Seeing several major brands brought together across custom sublimated polos, softshell jackets and hoodies made this one of the most distinctive time-critical projects in our history.

For organisations planning a sporting event, team launch or multi-sponsor uniform program, the central lesson is simple: consider the garments, branding and deadline as one connected project from the beginning.

Explore custom uniforms for Australian teams and organisations, or view our range of custom sublimated polo shirts.

About the Author

Jason Ham is the founder of Uniforms.com.au and a respected Australian authority on uniforms and workwear, with more than 27 years of industry experience. His extensive knowledge, business achievements and entrepreneurial journey have also been showcased in the book Entrepreneurs Exposed.