What This Summer Changed About Workwear

This summer, heat stopped feeling like an occasional problem for many European workers.

Summer 2026 was the third-warmest summer ever recorded for Europe, while Western Europe experienced its hottest summer on record.

For companies with employees working outdoors, on construction sites, in transport, logistics or other hot environments, that raises a practical question:

Can the workwear they already use handle the next summer like this?

The Question Is Bigger Than Fabric

When temperatures rise, the first reaction is often to look for something lighter.

But changing workwear is not always that simple.

The garment still has to meet the company's requirements, look consistent across the workforce and work in the actual job environment. EU-OSHA's guidance on extreme heat points to a wider approach, including work organisation, rest, water, shade, ventilation and suitable protective equipment.

So the lesson from this summer is not simply:

“Buy cooler workwear.”

It is:

“Reconsider what workwear needs to do when working conditions change.”

The Next Order May Look Different

A company that bought the same summer uniform for years may now be asking different questions.

Can some teams use a lighter version?
Do outdoor workers need different options from indoor staff?
Should hot-weather workwear become part of the standard uniform range rather than a seasonal emergency solution?

These are not just clothing questions anymore.

They are decisions about how a company wants its workers to work through the next hot season.

And that may be the most useful thing this summer has changed about workwear: it has given buyers a reason to rethink what “suitable” really means.