SCAD students debug Orkin’s uniforms.
The phrase “dressed to kill” is certainly apropos when it comes to the Orkin corporation’s new uniforms, which were recently distributed to more than 10,000 Orkin professionals around the country. To achieve its employees’ new look, the 123-year-old Buckhead-based pest-control firm turned to another Atlanta mainstay, the Savannah College of Art and Design, in a unique collaboration that began four years ago.
“Our uniforms are an iconic part of our brand, and we needed help reimagining them,” says Brian Harrison, Orkin’s director of marketing, noting that the uniforms hadn’t changed in more than 20 years and had issues that needed to be addressed. So the company reached out to SCADpro, an innovation hub that teams with brands like Apple and Walmart to come up with creative business solutions. SCADpro does approximately 15 to 20 projects per quarter and it’s not the first time the team has redesigned a uniform, as they recently revamped the flight suits for Zero-G, a Florida space tourism firm.
A team of 16 students and two faculty members worked with Orkin leaders to devise the new design. The students chosen, who were studying everything from fashion marketing to art history, were divided into a fashion team and a graphics team. The design brief they were presented with was to improve the fit, form and functionality of the uniforms while keeping the silhouette simple yet elevated. “The old uniforms were hot, stiff and uncomfortable,” Harrison says. They also needed to address practical issues like fabric sourcing and industrial laundering.
Madison Miller, a SCAD senior when the project kicked off in the spring of 2020, was on the fashion team that started by looking at the old uniforms to decide what worked and what didn’t. She says they also received invaluable input from Orkin technicians. “One of the things we talked a lot about was pocketing,” says Miller, noting that everyone carries around a phone, and the technicians have other tools they need to easily access. So a cargo pocket was added to one leg of the pants and a device pocket to the other.
To address fit issues, the pants now feature a belt with a locking slide, and the women’s pants have elastic in the back. They also added darting to the women’s shirts. The new performance fabrics are more breathable and stretchy, providing added comfort and flexibility.
Maintaining Orkin’s brand identity was also part of the equation. The previous uniforms featured a military-inspired design with epaulets on the shoulders, which have since been replaced with a more modern red stripe. Regarding the overall color scheme, the new uniforms have kept the traditional white and red palette, with either khaki or gray pants for commercial or residential uniforms.
After being field-tested, the new uniforms rolled out in June, and the reaction from the technicians has been positive. “They’ve loved them so far,” says Harrison, and that’s important because the uniforms affect how technicians work every day and how they feel in front of the customer.
The SCAD/Orkin collaboration has also been deemed a success. “Orkin and SCAD are both wellknown brands, and I’m grateful to have worked with them,” Harrison says. “They have the brightest of minds.” For her part, Miller says she’s thankful for the real-world experience. “My first job after graduation was working for a work-wear company, so I was looking at a lot of cargo pants.”
