Tabards

Browse Alexandra’s range of apron tabards for the hospitality industry. 

Whether you work in food service or hospitality management, we will have a style to suit your team members’ roles to keep them protected and comfortable while working.

From plain tabards to print and patterned ones in various colour and style options, we have a tabard that will coordinate with your business branding to create a stylish and practical uniform.

Providing an extra layer of protection, choose from a long length tabard or choose a traditional tabard featuring a practical pocket. 

You can also add personalisation through adding your company logo using our embroidery service, so your team has a hard-wearing garment that also looks the part.

What is a tabard?

A hospitality tabard is a kind of overgarment designed to be worn over other clothing and protect it from spillages and stains. Most are the shape of an oversized bib and have a hole for the wearer’s head to slot over and open sides held together by fastening strips.

What are tabards used for?

Within the hospitality industry, tabards have traditionally been worn by housekeeping staff. However, their versatile range of applications means tabards have recently been incorporated into a broader range of roles within the hospitality industry.

The benefits of tabards include:

• Provide an effective barrier from cleaning chemical spillages staining other garments
• Protect clothes from the dirt of daily tasks
• Provide free movement for the wearer
• Keep the wearer cool during physical tasks while remaining protected
• Often come with pockets that help housekeeping staff keep their most used tools close to hand
• Are easy to slip in and out of, which means they can be changed frequently throughout the day should they get soiled

What is the difference between a tabard and an apron?

Tabards and aprons look similar and have similar functions, because both are a kind of garment worn over other clothing to protect it and the wearer from spillages and stains.

Tabards tend to be much shorter and cover the torso down to the hips, while aprons are longer and cover the torso down past the knees. 

Both often come with a front pocket allowing the wearer to store relevant equipment for the task at hand.

View Alexandra’s wider range of hospitality aprons here.

What materials are tabards made from?

Many tabards in Alexandra’s range are made from a 65% polyester / 35% cotton mixed fabric, which provides the perfect balance of practicality and comfort.

The natural cotton fibres give a softer skin feel and heightened breathability, which is strengthened by the synthetic polyester into a durable material ideal for many physical hospitality roles.

For roles that need a slightly hardier garment, our Big Check style is manufactured from a 67% polyester / 33% cotton fabric. This material mix gives somewhat more weight to the polyester and creates a tougher garment with an easier-to-wipe-clean finish.

Alexandra tabards GSM

GSM is an abbreviation for Grams per Square Metre (g/m2). It refers to the weight of the fabric if you weigh a one-metre-by-one-metre-square sheet of cloth in grams.

Tabards with a higher GSM are made from a thicker material. These are softer, so some colleagues may find them more comfortable to wear everyday,  and warmer, so you may wish to use different GSMs in the summer or winter months.

Alexandra offers tabards in 150gsm, 195gsm and 245gsm materials.

Can I personalise my hospitality tabard?

Alexandra makes it easy for you to personalise your tabard for your hospitality business through our Add Your Logo service. 

You can easily feature your business name and logo, colleague names, brand or unique designs through custom embroidery or screen printing with the service.

Embroidered tabards

Using the most up-to-date high-speed technology, we can create bespoke tabards featuring robust, colour-fast embroidery that will stand out wash after wash. 

We can embroider your logo or design or just make numbers and letters in various conventional scripts. 

Printed workwear

If you need a high number of tabards or waterproof finishes in bright, sharp colours, we offer you a choice of highly durable print finishes to suit your budget.

• Screen printing: ideal for those looking to print photographic images onto workwear or needing high numbers of items. Screen printing uses permanent, four-colour ink to print complex designs onto the fabric.
• Vinyl printing: best for those who need simple logos added to their workwear in low volumes. Vinyl printing uses heat applied imprints and creates a matte look for a reflection-free finish.
• Digital Printing: great for larger, more detailed designs in low-medium volumes. Digital printing uses heat applied transfers to give a unique design.