Woman Up, a boutique for women in the construction industry-Brooklyn

Here’s how to look good on a girder 30 stories up

BY CLAIRE GLASS

for The Brooklyn Paper

Forget about skinny jeans and high heels, pink power tools are the new black.

Answering the call of tradeswomen who are sick of gloves that don’t fit, reflective vests that sag, and the abject lack of work boots designed for the feminine physique, longtime construction worker Deidre Douglas opened Woman Up, a work-wear store on Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights.

“I have customers as far as California because no one wants to wear stuff that doesn’t fit,” said Douglas, herself a construction worker for a decade. “Women come here for the boots and the gloves and they all tell me how happy they are that I’m here.”

Though the store has been open for a year, Douglas has moved beyond the apparel problem. Next up is a line of pink power tools that are strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.

Her clients aren’t all construction workers. Transit workers, letter carriers, and dockworkers also frequent her store, she said — all with one thing in common.

“We wear boots, not suits,” Douglas said.

Woman Up is not all about pink hues, frills on hardhats or petite sizes. But it is about not losing your femininity even when you’re on a girder 30 stories up.

As such, the store offers a line of sweat-absorbing supportive underwear. Think Hanes Her Way with extra support to straighten spines, lift breasts, regulate body temperature, and generally improves figures while you work.

Men are welcome, certainly. The other day, a United Parcel Service driver stopped by and bought a pair of work gloves because his hands are small for his sex, Douglas said.

He wasn’t the only exception, but Douglas mostly caters to women, including selling nutritional supplements and skin and bath products.

“Because after you stop working you still want to come home and feel like a woman,” she said.

Woman Up [708 Washington Ave. between St. Marks Avenue and Prospect Place in Prospect Heights, (347) 750-6836].

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/33/9/33_09_cg_woman_up.html?comm=1

Introducing FASHION for women in construction: Doe Work Wear

Gear shift
Woman's clothing line stands up to work, style needs

February 3, 2009
BY CAROLE SHARWARKO staff writer

You've never seen a runway show like this before. At its next meeting on Feb. 11, National Association of Women in Construction introduces the Chicago-based Doe Work Wear Corp.

Lauren Bartkowski created D.W.W., a fashion line for female laborers. The Oak Forest resident worked for Walsh Construction through college. And though she worked in the office, she said she tired of wearing oversized, bland-colored work wear.

Oak Forest resident Lauren Bartkowski shows off the clothing she designed for her new line of women’s clothing, Doe Work Wear.(Joseph P. Meier/SouthtownStar)

http://www.dwwclothing.com/
Doe Work Wear, a fashion line created by Oak Forest resident Lauren Bartkowski, was featured in the Chicago Is…Red Hot 2008 Fashion Show last fall at Northerly Island in Chicago.

See the Doe Work Wear line
Ladies, join women from around the area for a special one-night-only show of D.W.W. clothing, beginning with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at Nickobee's, 10301 Southwest Highway, Chicago Ridge. The cost is $35. There will be a raffle for clothing and gift certificates.
Reservations are due to Julie Tiu by Feb. 7. Information and registration is with Tiu at (224) 616-1257 or jtiu@comcast.net.

"I was always getting free hoodies and jackets from companies," Bartkowski said. "Even when I'd order the women's stuff in small sizes, they were always too big. I ended up giving the stuff away."

When she went out with friends after work, Bartkowski said she always "looked frumpier" than women who had come from offices, wearing slacks and high heels.

Armed with a business degree and a lifelong desire to be a fashion designer, in 2006 she began organizing her thoughts and creating a business model. Then she started designing.

"I don't want it to be over-the-top feminine," she said. "It looks rugged and feminine at the same time."

D.W.W. products offer a design that incorporates functionality, safety and style for female laborers. The company said its products will stand up to the most demanding labor tasks, yet are designed for the female body.

These women can toss their oversized and uncomfortable menswear. D.W.W.'s collection comes in feminine silhouettes and colors, with simple patchwork and piping details. It's just enough to be feminine, but not enough to interfere with the physical labor these women do every day.

"The fit is unmistakably female. The fabrics are outdoor fabrics – twills, cargo canvas, heavy deck material – but we've done them in lighter colors like pistachio and lighter gray, with pink and purple linings and contrast colors."

Though the line is made for women in the construction, industrial and blue collar trades, the clothes are also great for home project "do-it-yourselfers" and even die-hard gardeners.

Bartkowski is also an owner of a specialty contracting company, Bartkowski & McDonald Firestopping Services. She said the intention of the line reaches past style and function.

"It's important to me that whatever careers women choose, even if it's unconventional, that they know people are out there to support them," she said. "The main message is: We have to stick together."

Carole Sharwarko can be reached at csharwarko@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-6872.

http://www.southtownstar.com/neighborhoodstar/oakforest/1409354,020309style.article