Uniforms and workwear retail serves two very different customer types: individual consumers buying school uniforms or basic work clothing, and B2B buyers ordering large quantities of branded corporate workwear or PPE for a site. The product data and order flow for each are quite different, and both need to be handled correctly in Shopify after migration from WooCommerce.

Workwear and uniform product categories

Hi-vis and safety clothing: Vests, jackets, trousers, coveralls. EN ISO 20471 class rating required.
PPE and safety equipment: Helmets, safety boots, gloves, eye protection, ear protection. EN/ISO safety standard metafields required.
Corporate and office workwear: Shirts, trousers, knitwear, outerwear. Often embroidered with company logo.
Healthcare workwear: Scrubs, tunics, nurse uniforms. Colour coding by department.
School uniforms: Blazers, ties, polo shirts, PE kit. Sold by school. Bundled as starter packs.
Hospitality and food service: Chef whites, aprons, waiter uniforms. Heat and stain resistance metafields.
Tradespeople and industry: Cargo trousers, kneepads, work boots, fleece jackets. Durability specs.

Safety certification metafields

Safety equipment sold in the UK must comply with relevant EN/ISO standards and carry UKCA (or legacy CE) markings. This data is legally required to be communicated and should be in structured metafields:

Metafield	Example	Product type
workwear.safety_standard	EN ISO 20471 / EN 397 / EN ISO 20345	All safety products
workwear.safety_class	Class 1 / Class 2 / Class 3	Hi-vis clothing
workwear.ukca_marked	true / false	All PPE
workwear.protection_category	Cat I / Cat II / Cat III	PPE directive category
workwear.safety_boot_standard	S1P / S2 / S3 / SBP	Safety footwear
workwear.toe_cap_material	Steel / Aluminium / Composite	Safety boots
workwear.electrical_hazard	true / false	Safety boots, gloves
workwear.chemical_resistant	EN 374-2 Type 1-6	Protective gloves
workwear.flame_retardant	EN ISO 11612 / EN ISO 11611	FR clothing
workwear.wash_cycles_rated	25 / 50 / 100	Hi-vis, FR garments

Embroidery and logo customisation order flow

Corporate workwear almost always involves embroidery (company logo, name, department). This creates a customisation workflow that goes beyond standard Shopify product variants.

In WooCommerce, this is typically handled by:

Custom text input fields (WooCommerce Product Add-Ons plugin): name for embroidery, logo upload
A separate "embroidery" product added to the cart (embroidery fee per location)

In Shopify, the equivalent approach:

Infinite Options / Bold Product Options: Add custom input fields (text input, file upload) to product pages
Line item properties: Store embroidery instructions as line item properties on the cart (accessible in order admin)
Embroidery add-on product: Separate "Embroidery — one location" product added to cart via a JavaScript snippet when the customer selects embroidery

During migration, WooCommerce Product Add-Ons data does not transfer automatically. Flag all products with customisation fields in k-sync (workwear.customisation_available = true) and reconfigure the customisation app post-migration.

Size and colour matrix variants

Workwear typically uses a straightforward size × colour matrix. A polo shirt in 5 colours × 8 sizes (XS–5XL) = 40 variants — well within Shopify's limit. However, some workwear lines extend to 3XL, 4XL, 5XL, and Tall/Short variants:

Option 1: Size → "XS / S / M / L / XL / 2XL / 3XL / 4XL / 5XL"
Option 2: Colour → "Navy / Black / White / Yellow / Royal Blue"
Option 3: Fit → "Standard / Tall" (if offered)

5 colours × 9 sizes × 2 fits = 90 variants — at the upper end but within Shopify's limit. Add a 6th colour and it would require splitting by fit.

School uniform bundles and school-specific collections

School uniform retailers often serve specific schools with branded, embroidered uniforms. In Shopify, implement this with:

One collection per school (e.g., "St Mary's Primary School Uniform")
Collection handles the school-specific branded products only
A school finder on the homepage (simple dropdown menu or search)
Bundle products: "Year 7 Starter Pack — St Mary's" containing blazer + 2 shirts + tie + PE kit

During migration from WooCommerce, school-specific products stored in WooCommerce categories map to Shopify collections in the k-sync category mapping editor. The one-to-one category → collection mapping is clean for this use case.

B2B trade accounts for bulk workwear

Businesses ordering workwear in bulk (50+ garments for a site) need trade pricing, purchase order support, and account management. In Shopify:

Shopify B2B (Plus): Company accounts with price lists, net 30/60 payment terms, draft orders
Non-Plus B2B: Wholesale Gorilla + customer tags + trade application form
Minimum order quantities: Useful for embroidered items (minimum 6 units for embroidery to be cost-effective). Managed via a quantity limit app or manual order review

Post-migration checklist for workwear and uniform stores

EN ISO safety standards and class on all hi-vis and safety products
UKCA/CE markings as metafields on all PPE
Safety boot standard (S1P/S2/S3) on all safety footwear
Chemical resistance rating on protective gloves
Flame retardant standard on FR garments
Embroidery customisation app configured before launch
School-specific collections created and products assigned
Bundle products for school starter packs
B2B trade account pricing configured for bulk buyers
Size guide covering extended sizes (2XL–5XL, Tall) visible on product pages

Migrating a uniforms, workwear, and safety equipment store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)