Dovetail's DX ranch collection expands on blue-collar women's workwear options

In March 2022, Dovetail Workwear launched their new DX Ranch Collection featuring Cordura brand fabrics for rugged performance. Women of the X Ranch — a fourth-generation Oceti Sakowin ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota — inspired the collection. Products included bootcut pants offered in two durable Cordura fabrics. The DX Bootcut is the only Dovetail pant without thigh reinforcements for optical horseback work, but, rather, is reinforced with Cordura threads.

Blue-collar women's workwear options are finally expanding

Yes, this does sound revolutionary. However, despite Dovetail Workwear’s advances in workwear for women in blue-collar jobs, there’s still a dearth of workwear for women in these types of professions.

Since WWII, women have been on the assembly line and in factories. This was the beginning of the commercialization of denim and overalls, which were originally just workwear clothes. This was also the birth of the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter, who represented these women who worked in factories and shipyards. With her red and white polka dot bandana and denim top, Rosie the Riveter would become the symbol of blue-collar women in America who helped drive America’s manufacturing sector.

For men in blue-collar professions, workwear has always existed for them and has just adapted over time to include things like stretch and wicking fabrics. For women, workwear often is just smaller versions of what is already available for men. The offerings for women’s workwear are a very “borrowed from the boys” approach to design.

Dovetail’s offerings consider all the movement needs and forms of work women could be doing, whether on a ranch, factory, or farm. Some features of Dovetail’s pants include the Ezwaist fit and articulated knees for ease of movement, a tool loop, a double belt loop, and 11 pockets including a double “shot pocket” that fits essential vet med tools, folding knives, and anything else that needs to sit snug and shallow. The DX Bootcut pants come in inclusive sizing 000–18 for the canvas version and 000-24 for denim, with inseam lengths ranging from 28” to 36”.

Currently, women fill 30 percent of trade and agriculture jobs. Unfortunately, there aren’t many apparel options for these women. Typically, these fields have a uniform or dress code that accounts for heavy manual labor.

In addition to providing women with more workwear options, Dovetail is also committed to sustainability. The company takes a commitment to minimize environmental impact while raising the bar on socially and sustainably responsible standards through the UN Global Compact pact. Artistic milliners in Pakistan mill Cordura indigo denim, recipient of the UN’s highest award for sustainability, while Freedom Denim in China sustainably produces the Cordura dark Kodiak canvas.