Our Story
Built From
Experience.
Driven by
Service.
Essential Trade Wear was born in 2008 from a simple conversation on a Melbourne construction site.
Our founder, Ben Guerin, was working as a steel fixer when his employer expressed frustration with the cost and difficulty of finding reliable uniform and safety equipment suppliers.
With over 100 employees, Ben asked,
“Surely someone out there is offering quality products, competitive pricing and good old-fashioned service?”
The answer was simple. “No.”
And that’s where our story began.
Humble Beginnings
Starting with an import of 6,000 pairs of safety gloves, Essential Trade Wear began as a side business.
For the next two to three years, Ben worked six days a week in commercial construction while spending his weekends, RDOs and evenings selling safety products and building relationships with potential customers.
The original goal? Simply earn enough extra income to stop working overtime.
What started as a small side hustle eventually became a full-time business.
Where We Are Today
Combining extensive experience in retail and purchasing with over a decade in commercial construction, Ben built Essential Trade Wear around a simple philosophy: quality products, competitive pricing and genuine customer service.
Today, we’re a proudly family-owned Melbourne business offering complete uniform, workwear, PPE and promotional merchandise solutions, supported by in-house embroidery, screen printing, DTF heat pressing and our Uniform Management System.
While we’ve grown considerably since 2008, our values remain unchanged.
We’re not just here to supply uniforms. We’re here to build lasting relationships and make life easier for our customers.
Essential Trade Wear — Built From Experience. Driven by Service.
Ready when you are
Let’s get your team
looking the part.
Tell us what you need and we’ll build a uniform solution around your business.