Work wear has to be three points: lasting, comfortable and protective. These concerns don't always use to fashion clothes, as girls readily wear shoes which are more comparable to torture implements, and men's sneakers which look sophisticated tend to be uncomfortable. Maybe it is no surprise then that work wear has been used to make industrial chic style: large caps and boots emblazoned with a work wear maker's name are about as fashionable as it is possible to get. But how did this come about?

In Japan, their structure work wear is a combination of traditional Japanese clothes and functional European designs. Then in 2005, the designer, Bernhard Willhelm, took from the outfits worn by Japanese building employees (called Tobis) to create his spring style clothes line. From then on, Tobi fashion clothes stores started springing up around Tokyo, to the point that even children's clothing were made from the Tobi style. This has also had repercussion in the construction business. Now workers can walk into construction clothing stores and be confronted with vibrant hardhats and overalls, which makes the work area also a location of style and fun.

One major name in fashion shoes is a manufacturer of construction vehicles. It seems a giant leap of faith to go direct from manufacturing construction vehicles to releasing a style footwear line. Yet, by 2005, the vehicle manufacturer had sold 57 million pairs of shoes within a period of ten decades. Experts feature the brand's success to their success in creating trusted machines for the construction market. People assumed the footwear would be as hard as their machinery and the shoes are well-respected for their durability and they exude power and strength.

Nevertheless, the real reason behind the transformation from dirty and dangerous work to fashion clothes is that work wear providers have responded to the need on the market and began customizing work wear to look mainstream and to suit all tastes. The same as sportswear manufacturers like Adidas failed by creating a variety of lines of urban style clothing, work wear makers have started tapping into the lucrative consumer market also. This really is a win-win situation because people are assured of comfort and durability due to their regular activities with work lines.