The winner of the Best Collection of MBFW Madrid receives 15M to design the new Renfe uniforms

Renfe, the main passenger and freight rail transport company in Spain, has announced that the designer Ulises Mérida —recently winner of the Best Collection award at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid (MBFW Madrid)— will be in charge of creating the corporate uniforms of the company’s operational staff, after winning the public tender called last November for the award.

The company will tender the contract for the preparation and supply of the uniforms, with a global budget of 15 million euros allocated to the design of the uniforms of its operational personnel, which includes train drivers, commercial operators, and ground service workers already on board.

Currently, with the liberalization of the train passenger market that is allowing the entry of new companies such as the French Ouigo, as well as the proliferation of different cheaper options than those existing until now, this recent change in uniformity has acquired a special relevance since it supposes the recognition on the part of the clients of the identity of Renfe.

The plan will be divided into two lots, on the one hand, textiles and accessories, and the other, footwear. Likewise, the project has two perfectly differentiated phases. During the first, the objective will be to provide uniforms to the 7,338 uniformed workers of Renfe Viajeros, and the second, which will be launched in subsequent years, to the new additions.

Modern and sustainable uniforms, by the desire of the workers

As shared in a statement from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, the Human Resources Directorate of Renfe Viajeros has wanted to take into account the opinion of its workers throughout this process, and before calling the tender, it gathered information on the characteristics required by staff for uniforms.

In this way, the new designs have been made according to the preferences communicated by the workers through a survey in which they expressed their opinion on what characteristics should be considered when proposing their new uniform.

The sketches presented illustrate what will be comfortable, functional, and quality garments, according to a “modern, current and sustainable” corporate image. Likewise, the characteristic purple color, the company’s hallmark, is maintained on the uniform.

For Renfe, “the uniform is essential to achieve quality standards, convey a company image, and guarantee the comfort and safety of all operating personnel.”

About the new silhouettes, they consider that they transmit “professionalism” and contribute “to generating confidence in customers, because it is not only a work tool, but rather an ambassador of Renfe’s image, both for the staff that takes it and for the clients that identify i.”.

Ulises Mérida, renowned Haute Couture designer and member of the Association of Fashion Creators of Spain (ACME), had had his brand since 2012, when he held his first parade at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid. Since then, he has continued to present his collections every season.

In this latest edition of MBFW Madrid, the designer has been awarded the L’Oreal Paris 2022 award for the best collection for his “Recreo.” This couturier has also collaborated in the latest editions of “Madrid es Mod,” where he won the Shop Window Contest, and has worked as a stage costume designer for operas such as “La Traviata” or “Tosca” at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

Renfe’s long commitment to national designer fashion

This is not the first time Renfe has placed its trust in designers and companies in the sector to create and modify its uniforms. In 1988, Galerías Preciados and El Corte Inglés participated in an open competition to give the company an image that would differentiate it from other companies and workers.