Back in 2014 it became apparent that there was no online way of ordering crew uniforms. Not through the suppliers, distributors or the shop fronts themselves. It was with this in mind that Wave Uniforms was born in the garage of Sarah and Garth’s home with just one Ikea cupboard to house stock. Right from the very early days Sarah wanted the company to be completely transparent with their company ethos. It was of the utmost importance that everything on the site, including the prices, codes and even the suppliers, were listed loud and proud for the world to see. I ask if they had issues with people circumnavigating them having that information at their fingertips and Sarah says that while there are always one or two, for the majority of time it has worked in their favour as it builds trust. Although Wave started out small, it wasn’t long before they were supplying crew uniforms to some of the largest new build superyachts in the world, they have simply gone from strength to strength.
I ask why, after many years, they have relocated from their post-garage premises near Porto Pi, to their new location in the heart of Santa Catalina, just off the market and there are a few reasons. The first one being that the Porto Pi location was simply by appointment only due to managing just one client at a time and allowing said client to park in their private parking lot rather than trying to find parking. Whereas now, they have opened as a full on shop to the public from 9:00am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Of course it’s still possible to make an appointment and if it needs to be outside of the normal shop opening hours then the team will be happy to accommodate any requests.
The second reason was that it was simply a no-brainer. When the locale came on the market the team jumped at the opportunity. Now a few months on from taking on the premises, they have just launched with a brand new, completely refurbished and expanded offering. Changing rooms have been installed, partitions have been removed to give a more open plan feel and a floor has been installed that makes you feel as though you are quite literally walking on water.
The third being that the Close to Porto Pi location was 100m2 and Santa Catalina being a whopping 360m2.
On top of the showroom is just the sheer amount of space downstairs for all the stock they could dream of, plus room for the state-of-the-art embroidery machines. Curious, I ask how much stock they are holding right at this moment and they have over 3000 items. They are certainly well equipped for any boat’s uniform needs.
As one would expect, all of the typical big named nautical brands are available; Musto, Marinepool, Slam, Zhik, Gill, HH, etc…. However they also have a few lesser known brands that they are fully promoting thanks to their high quality and commitment to sustainability. One to certainly mention that Wave have exclusivity on is Ocean R, whose eco apparel is all made from recycled plastic that has been removed from the oceans. As they are based in Latvia, their carbon footprint is also far smaller than importing from China.
In addition to the standard crew offerings, Wave Uniforms is also looking at adding a little twist by stocking brands such as Hurley, Billabong, Columbia and Callaway. Also, after being in the yard and noticing the number of crew wearing activewear such as yoga pants, they will also be forging ahead into this market space.
Crew are invited to come in and sit with one of the design specialists on the team where everything from off the peg to specialist embroidery will be discussed from start to finish. The team will storyboard the ideas in order to ensure that what is approved is exactly what is requested and delivered, all within the timescale the client has requested. Though they are quick to emphasise that they are certain to never over-promise, guaranteeing that the client’s expectations are met.
The team is currently made up of four – Sarah herself, Garth, Ash and Beth. However in the next two weeks they are hoping to have doubled that to eight including sales staff, an embroiderist/seamstress and a warehouse attendant and they don’t think it will stop there. It is definitely a dynamic company that is set to spread its wings and launch off into a brand new dawn of crew uniforms.
WAVE Uniforms & Active Wear
Carrer d’Anníbal, 25, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears
