In cooperation with Medanta, the Docrates Cancer Centre created a clothing line with no unnecessary pieces. “Employees’ consistent outfits contribute to the company’s brand,” says Jaana Hyväri, Service Director at Docrates. “They also communicate an appreciation of the work carried out by the hospital’s top experts.”

A consistent, functional, stylish line of work clothing that supports the company’s brand.

This was the goal when Jaana Hyväri, Service Director at the Docrates Cancer Centre, set out to renew its employees’ work clothes.

“Our work clothing lacked consistency, as we had way too many pieces. In addition, our old work clothes looked very traditional and official, and they didn’t reflect our logo or colour scheme, which were redesigned in 2017.”

Docrates discovered Medanta when one of its employees attended an annual event for infection control nurses in Helsinki in spring 2017. She fell in love with Medanta’s nice-looking clothes and informed Hyväri about the company.

“I contacted Sales Director Susanne Stadius at Medanta. We met, and I told her about our needs and operations. She gave me a presentation about Medanta’s clothing lines and innovative product development, such as the antimicrobial treatment of fabrics,” says Hyväri.

Hygiene and infection control are of paramount importance at the hospital, meaning that work clothes need to be safe. The antimicrobial surface of Medanta’s fabrics prevents contamination and microbial growth. The clothes also remain fresh, as the fabric is resistant to odours.

Close cooperation with the customer

Medanta’s clothing line for Docrates has now been completed, after a year of design work, meetings, discussions and emails.

This youthful, versatile, high-quality collection was designed by Helena Manninen.

“The employees of the Docrates Cancer Centre were actively in involved in testing the pieces. Cooperation with the customer works best when we listen to the people who will actually be wearing the clothes. Jaana was excellent at communicating the employees’ key wishes, experiences and comments to me. We were a good match: we spoke the same language, right from our very first meeting,” says Manninen.

Jaana Hyväri’s main requirements for a clothing partner included strong expertise in materials and designs. Medanta’s online store also played a key role.

“As a supervisor, it’s important to me to be able to order work clothes for new employees quickly and conveniently from our own clothing line on the online store.”

According to Hyväri, the employees at Docrates were wearing Medanta’s work trousers even before the clothing line had been completed. The employees discovered the trousers on Medanta’s online store while they were looking for fresher options.

“Medanta’s trousers are youthful and well-fitting. After we ordered a pair for one employee, the rest wanted a pair as well. They refused to wear their old trousers.”

Clothes that communicate an appreciation of expertise

In its first phase, the clothing line covers nurses and other employees, such as receptionists. Docrates also intends to design collections for doctors and patients.

“The new clothing line needs to be suitable for everyone, as we have both female and male nurses,” says Hyväri.

According to Hyväri, consistent high-quality outfits contribute to the company’s brand and communicate an appreciation of top experts’ work.

An international hospital under Finnish ownership, Docrates serves cancer patients throughout the treatment chain, from diagnosis to post-treatment monitoring. The hospital has patients from around the world, from more than 60 countries so far.

“Employees’ high-quality clothes also make patients feel more comfortable. Our appearance is not that of a traditional hospital, but one of a second home. Wood and light-coloured materials in the interior design contribute to the cosy atmosphere, and the sea behind the windows brings nature closer.”

Practical and beautiful

When designing the Docrates clothing line, Helena Manninen and Jaana Hyväri gave a great deal of thought to how laid-back work clothes can actually be at a cancer hospital – while also being credible and professional.

The colour scheme consists of the turquoise from the Docrates logo and a stylish dark blue and white. The company’s fresh logo is used on the clothes, even in surprising ways, which was a fascinating challenge for Manninen.

She says that the starting point was an extensive clothing line, which was gradually reduced to 11 pieces through testing and fine-tuning. All of the pieces are easy to combine with one another. The trousers that were previously chosen from the online store remained part of the clothing line.

“In my opinion, this clothing line is both practical and beautiful – these qualities can coexist. Medanta takes care of the entire production chain, beginning with the thread. To make the clothes well-fitting and flexible, we use fabrics with technical properties similar to those used in sports clothes,” Manninen explains.

Clothes made from soft and flexible microfibre fabric are suitable for a wide range of jobs, and the material keeps heat and humidity away. According to Hyväri, the employees’ favourites at the launch event included a dark blue unisex microfibre outfit that was added to the clothing line in the final stages. Pieces going into production also include lightweight T-shirts and warm padded vests.

Hyväri is particularly pleased with the complete lack of useless pieces, as rarely worn work clothes are an unnecessary expense.

“For more formal occasions, our clothing line includes coat dresses and shirt dresses, and a blazer for men that is easy to put on, even on the fly.”