Will navy be the new maroon?

In what’s being billed as a “refresh” rather than a “rebrand,” the TTC is dispensing with its old maroon parkas and updating its front-line workers’ uniforms starting in January.

That’s when new ball caps, golf shirts, dress shirts, jackets, ties, trousers and scarves will begin to appear among about 5,000 uniformed TTC employees.

Transit officials, who have been working closely with the TTC’s union, won’t provide details, saying the uniforms will be officially unveiled in a fall fashion show.

But one thing is plain — those maroon parkas won’t survive the transition and TTC CEO Andy Byford is on the record as being a fan of navy blue, the colour of suiting his handpicked group station managers wear.

The last time the TTC introduced new uniforms was in the early 1990s, according to chief customer officer Chris Upfold, who has been modelling the new red striped tie at public meetings for weeks.

“We already buy uniforms for our people. Let’s make sure those uniforms we buy reflect a more modern system and a more modern esthetic. I don’t see many maroon jackets out there any more,” he said.

Same goes for the “floppy ties,” an optional item for female employees that hasn’t been seen in mainstream wardrobes for at least two decades.

Darker trousers are expected to replace the grey that TTC workers currently wear. The TTC will retain five different hats — a ball cap, two winter hats and two more formal toppers, one for men and one for women. But the colour and material will be more standardized.

How the new pieces are worn will be as important as the updated designs. There will be expectations about the care and cleanliness of the uniforms.

“The vision is to have something that is on the smart side rather than work wear. Once we bring this in, we need to make sure everybody understands how these pieces are worn together,” said Upfold.

The current uniforms, which replaced a dire period of poorly wearing brown garments, already incorporate a colour that, to the untrained eye, looks like navy and indeed, Upfold says, the golf shirts are “navy-ish.” The blazers, however, are actually “TTC blue.”

The new uniforms will be a combination of natural and synthetic fibres “for both wearability and durability,” he said.

Station janitors, who currently wear safety vests over their civvies, will also be getting uniforms, said Upfold.

The new TTC outdoor jackets are expected to be more sedate and more tailored, according to workers who have seen the samples that were used for in-house consultations.

The samples showed the TTC crest incorporated on the right sleeve where a customer boarding a vehicle would be most likely to see it, rather than the front of the jacket.

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The TTC budgets about $1.8 million annually for uniforms. Transit officials say the new garments may actually cost a little less.

Each TTC employee is allotted a number of uniform points that essentially allows them to replace their kit every two years. The points cover both mandatory and optional pieces. The collective agreement is very specific about uniforms right down to the fabric of the garments.