Uniforms: 1963-91

1963 - 73

Fashionable new uniforms designed by Hardy Amies were introduced to provide an ‘attractive form of protective clothing for women in the branches’. The pale blue uniforms were designed for year round wear and to complement the general appearance of Sainsbury’s stores. The uniforms were only issued in the new self-service stores as the synthetic material was not as robust as the cotton ‘whites’ worn in the counter service stores.

1973 - 80

Female staff wore two-tone blue check nylon overall and caps; separate uniforms for summer and winter were also introduced at this time.  Since nylon fabrics were rather hot to wear, in 1979 the company experimented with polyester-cotton, a fashionable new easy-care material.

1980 - 91

A dark brown and ‘brick’ colour scheme was introduced to co-ordinate with the orange Sainsbury’s logo. The range included a brick-coloured zipped dress or tunic and trousers, with dark brown suits for managers. The material was very tough-wearing and practical for the shop floor, but soon became ‘dated’.