Silk & Rock stands out in the uniform industry by seamlessly merging design, quality, and functionality. Founder Sara Calle emphasizes a client-centric approach, ensuring each garment not only fits well but also embodies the client’s unique personality and values. Leveraging her international design experience, Sara infuses trendsetting designs influenced by global fashion landscapes. The brand’s commitment to branding excellence has led to rapid growth, with expansion beyond the EU and the introduction of innovative e-commerce strategies.
Embracing technological advancements, Silk & Rock has ventured into 3D garment development and NFTs, enhancing customer experiences and offering immersive previews of designs. Collaborating with a trusted Turkish factory ensures top-notch quality, while their tech-driven approach, including AR and VR, offers clients a unique and engaging shopping journey. As Sara Calle suggests, the future lies in blending traditional expertise with cutting-edge technology, catering to diverse client needs and aspirations in the ever-evolving uniform industry.
Silk & Rock’s Triad of Excellence
We started the interview by asking, “How does Silk & Rock differentiate itself by combining #Design, #Quality, and #Functionality in uniforms?”
Sara Calle replied, “Our approach from the beginning has been to design with a focus on uniforms rather than fashion. One of our most challenging goals is ensuring that each garment fits any size while still reflecting the personality of each client.
Each uniform serves a specific function. For instance, an apron is designed to protect and resist stains, a suit offers exclusivity and distinction, and a polo shirt indicates a more casual service.
Our proposal is centered around fabrics that provide durability and unique designs that captivate customers, creating a “Wow Effect.” However, we always consider the functional needs of employees to ensure the best possible fit.
Undoubtedly, quality is crucial. The fact that our uniforms are resistant and can withstand frequent washing is a testament to our success, as it combines #design, #quality, and #functionality.”
Global Insights
The Worlds Times: Can you explain how the founder’s international design experience influences Silk & Rock’s unique approach to uniform design?
Sara Calle replied, “Without a doubt, my experience as a designer with other international brands has allowed me to propose uniform designs that are more trendy than others on the market.
The tools learned in the past are key to shaping designs and working on uniforms as collections since in many cases you have to work on projects differentiating departments, ranks… and you always have to create a common thread in all of them. On the other hand, the fact of having been able to visit factories in India, China and Turkey means that I know very well the production processes and timing when we have to develop our collections.
It is very important to know the trends. that are raised on the catwalks, on the street, even in the most relevant brands to propose uniforms that please not only the client but also the employee who wears them.”
Crafting Uniforms that Speak Volumes About Clients’ Values
The Worlds Times: How does the brand ensure that its uniforms reflect the identity and values of clients, aligning with the quote “Style is saying who you are without having to speak”?
Sara Calle replied, “It is very important to listen to each client and understand what they want to convey.
We always say that uniforms must match the quality of our clients’ services.
We give a lot of importance to the identity of the Hotel, but above all we like to focus on who it is aimed at and that is why we work directly with the marketing teams so that the branding is well defined and can be reflected in the garments that represent each client. Uniforms should be a branding tool.”
Designing Globally, Tailoring Locally
The Worlds Times: With global expansion, how does Silk & Rock adapt designs to cater to diverse cultural preferences in regions like the US, UAE, and Europe?
Sara Calle replied, “It is a very interesting question. Many times we have encountered cultural differences depending on the location and the client.
In the case of the United States, we found that the sizes were not the same as the European ones and we had to develop special sizes for our designs, since in some cases, there were larger employees than in Spain.
In the case of UAE, it has been different within each country since some clients have asked us to respect dress codes such as covering shoulders and knees, while in other cases they have given us total freedom, as is the case in Dubai.
An important fact has been to work on qualities and colors according to the climate of each region since in some cases we have been able to replicate garments, but changing certain details and compositions.”
Harnessing & Embracing Innovation
The Worlds Times: What prompted Silk & Rock’s venture into 3D garment development and NFTs in 2022, and how does it enhance the customer experience?
Sara Calle replied, “From silk and Rock we believe a lot in new technologies, and we consider that 3D design is potentially a very good tool to design and show garments to our clients. Thanks to programs like Clo 3D, we can view renders with the final fabrics, do color and finish tests, On the other hand, thanks to 3D we have discovered a new market to enter and that offers thousands of possibilities and opportunities such as video games, NFT or the discovery of new technologies that help us reach the customer better.”
We further asked, “How does Silk & Rock leverage technology for 3D garment development to create immersive experiences and unique content for clients and brands?”
Sara Calle replied, “Mainly, we offer a differentiating service that can help the designs presented in sketches to be better understood and the client does not need to see a sample to decide. Likewise, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and 3D software allow you to create immersive experiences that generate more traffic and more engagement for your consumers. Without a doubt, it is being an essential marketing tool.
On the other hand, 3D design allows brands to offer their product with a 360o view and in some cases, product customization. Without a doubt, new technologies and how to apply them attract a young audience and are sometimes a guarantee of success for established brands, but with more senior targets.”
Tailoring & Excellence Branding
The Worlds Times: Can you elaborate on how Silk & Rock listens to clients to ensure each uniform is 100% tailored to individual needs?
Sara Calle replied, “As we have mentioned previously, it is very important to study the client and know who they are before the first meeting, whenever possible. Once we are clear about who we are addressing, we work on the different departments and within them, the different ranks.
Many times we make almost custom-made garments when they are highly relevant departments or when we develop garments for directors.
We always try to ensure that the clothes you have to wear every day provide you with security and this is reflected in your dealings with clients.”
Then we asked, “How does Silk & Rock use branding to add value to its products and maintain the essence of its uniforms?”
Sara Calle replied, “Interestingly, since Silk and Rock – More than Uniforms was founded, we have chosen to focus on our clients. We even utilized brand labels created by us to enhance their branding; their success became our success.
By the end of 2021, we began to experience exponential growth, marking our first exports outside the EU and launching our first e-commerce platform. Contrary to many statistics, during this phase, we continued to rely on word of mouth as our primary marketing tool, quietly building our brand.
Today, a key aspect of our brand strategy is to remain in the background and support our clients, allowing them to be the protagonists.”
Forging Quality Partnerships
The Worlds Times: How does Silk & Rock’s collaboration with a Turkish factory contribute to maintaining high-quality standards in production?
Sara Calle replied, “Years ago I had the opportunity to work directly with Turkish suppliers, both in Istanbul and Izmir and, in addition, to meet wonderful people, I discovered that the service and quality were incredible. The factory I work with in Turkey has quality certificates for fabrics and services.
Although many kilometers separate us, it is very important to define the information correctly, prepare very detailed files and know each other well to know what we expect to receive when they develop samples.”
Guidance for Emerging Marketers
Lastly we asked, “What advice would you give to marketers who are just starting their careers and aspire to achieve success in the industry?”
“Initially I would tell them to train themselves and see which are the most avant-garde technologies on the market and specialized within their sector.
Secondly, they should define what type of product they would like to create or specialize in since there are many fields in which they can work.
If they want to bring a new product to the market, they should study the competition and improve the products they offer. Once they have defined this part, they will have to find their typical client and reach them using the most current marketing tools at all times.” Sara Calle concluded
Connect Sara Calle on LinkedIn
Visit More than Uniform Silk & Rock to learn more about it
