The story started in 2013, when the Dutch Police forces went through some major changes. Before, there were 25 regional police forces. They were unified in 1 national police force. Thorough research showed that there was a need for a more functional and operational uniform when it comes to materials and comfort. In addition, they wanted a vigorous unified appearance.
Sioen, as well as the other suppliers that answered the tender, could introduce new ideas for the design of the uniforms. Of course, there were some fixed functional properties and the new uniform had to honour the new visual identity that was especially created for the Dutch Police forces.
Our innovation? No colour migration!
What made Sioen Apparel stand out? We managed to add the yellow striping and logos from their visual identity and keep the dark colours from running out on the bright yellow. Thanks to the innovative technology, it’s safe to wash the multicolour uniforms.
In addition, this suit is comfortable, stylish and highly qualitative. Sioen wanted to provide the peacekeepers with a uniform that is more than just regular professional protective clothing. Policemen and women wear this uniform on a daily basis and they should feel comfortable wearing it. What’s more, the uniform should add to their pride. The used materials have a lasting quality and are maintenance-friendly.
Softshell and all-weather jacket
The unlined dark blue softshell provides protection against rainy, windy and slightly cold weather conditions. The all-weather jacket perfectly complements the softshell, as it can be worn on top of the softshell to provide extra protection when it is raining and/or the wind is blowing heavily. In addition, it protects against extremely cold temperatures. The membrane that is used for the all-weather jacket keeps the police officers dry in wet weather conditions, while it remains breathable.
The softshell’s upper layer is the same one as the one of the all-weather jacket. That makes its combination a perfect match. By combining them, you have a three layer system. Police officers can thus choose whether they use one or both of the layers of the all-weather jacket and whether they need the softshell.
The model of both the softshell and the all-weather jacket is quite short, as it is worn on top of the weapon belt. That way, the officers can swiftly draw their weapon in case of emergency. Both models do have an extended back. The softshell doesn’t have pockets, as the bulletproof vest is usually worn on top of it.
A perfect fit
After winning the tender, we spent some time fine-tuning our products together with the Dutch Police and the suppliers of the other articles such as caps, polo shirts, etc. That was really important to make sure that all separate parts fit together perfectly. Thanks to that close collaboration, the yellow striping of, e.g., the polo shirts is placed at the same height as the one on the jacket. It would be a bit weird if the striping was at a different height on different garments, wouldn’t it? In addition, all colours needed to be exactly the same.
65 000 all-weather jackets and 90 000 softshells
Some Dutch officials accompanied us to our Indonesian production site to have a look at the production process. From 2014 onwards, about 65 000 all-weather jackets and 90 000 softshells have been delivered.
The Dutch Police forces have indicated that they are satisfied with our products and repairs were barely needed. In the meantime, various new versions have been designed and delivered. A fully blue version was created for special groups such as the Forensic Investigation units and for administrative positions. A grey on grey version is used by officers with technical and supportive positions and finally the fully red version was created for the operational supervisors.