“Made in USA”. It’s vintage brown and gold, cotton and polyester, features a sewn-in name tag and an embroidered logo: the iconic UPS driver uniform. It’s work wear, functional and straight cut, but with a level of global recognition that even established designers envy. 

Is it overly daring to compare the UPS uniform with haute couture? I think not. Just as a UPS delivery driver in his ‘Browns’ looks immaculate and conforms to a certain house style, so every fashion designer has a signature look that makes his or her creations instantly recognisable.

Why all the interest in fashion? Well, besides the low-level addiction to retail therapy that a few of us may or may not admit to, the fashion industry as a whole is a major consumer of logistics services and a key growth area for our company. Fashions change fast and the world waits impatiently for the latest trends to arrive.

However, UPS’s relationship with fashion goes much deeper than speeding samples around the globe and making sure the high street stays well stocked with the latest must-have item. In keeping with the company’s tradition of innovation and involvement, UPS has participated in a series of programmes alongside renowned fashion and design colleges in the US, Asia and across Europe since 2003.

Here in Europe we have a very special relationship with fashion. Our textile industry has a long tradition of craftsmanship, built on centuries of weaving, sewing, dressmaking and tailoring, while fashion capitals such as London, Paris and Milan are synonymous with the most exquisite styles.

So, starting with New York City and continuing in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland, the UK and China, UPS offered up-and-coming designers the chance to bring their ideas to life in the context of a global organisation, with some decent prize money up for grabs too.

The competition brief: to interpret the UPS uniform, brand and colour palette. Have a look at the video below and see how one of these contests (in this case in Germany) unravelled from start to finish. Check out the photobooks at the UPS fashion portal too. Bet you never thought UPS could be so avant-garde!

So UPS and fashion do have more in common than one would at first imagine. Not only do our drivers’ uniforms keep them warm and dry in the most inclement weather; they also make them a living part of contemporary culture. And as to keeping the frenetic world of fashion and luxury goods moving? Well that’s really just second nature.