Best places to get overseas workwear?

Tool Talk
#1

Hi everyone!

I have a pretty random yet specific conundrum, it’s close enough to tool related that someone here may know, so figured I’d throw it out there. I’m trying to get my hands on some Engelbert Strauss workwear. Amazon.de and .co.uk don’t have much of anything, much less what I want (es motion and motion 2020 pants and jackets), and I’ve been going through google trying to find apparel retailers in Germany or surrounding that sell Engelbert Strauss and ship to the US. Does anybody know of anywhere they’ve maybe bought from before or just in general that sells European workwear and ships to the U.S.?

It almost seems that ES is a bit like the German equivalent of Lands’ End, where their physical presence is severely limited, and you basically have to order from them directly. I’ve got some inquiries in with them, but the reason I’m looking for alternatives is they want an arm and a leg to ship the stuff to the US, though I also got a response to a follow up saying they don’t ship to the US at all, then another reply that they do but back to costing a fortune. I’ve also been looking at some alternatives from like Blaklader, Snickers, Qualitex, and others, but I’m kind of set on the ES stuff. I’m getting it less for quality or functionality in that I wouldn’t be wearing it for work or daily or anything like that, but I really like the look and want some unique work-style “uniforms” for the robotics competitions I go to with my team or to volunteer at. So style in this case trumps all, over quality or functionality, though I don’t think the ES stuff is lacking in any of those departments. It’s not a huge deal either, if i can’t get it I’ll just abandon this plan and go back to looking at racing or tactical type shirts and pants, and what I can do with them to jazz them up a bit and make them more functional like I’ve done for years past. But figured it’s worth seeing if anybody else has any ideas or past experience!

Thanks for anyone’s knowledge in this area!

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#2

I don’t really have any information to help you except related to the shipping. A company like that would have to export it properly and when doing that they would almost always use a shipping broker and it gets expensive because for customs they’ll have to provide documentation for anything that may be organic. So, for cotton as an example they have to show what farm the cotton came from and through the manufacturing facilities that fabricated the item or article. This can apply to every component that makes up any given article or item. Lots of $$$ if it’s not information they already have on hand because they’re set up for international sales and export shipping. The best way would probably be through someone who could ship with a courier such as fed-ex or another international courier as just a shipment rather than a commercial transaction. These can still get tangled in customs but it’s an easier way. E-bay sellers, Amazon, or individuals can be pretty easy.

1 Like
#3

I am going through the same thing. My work got me these work pants, and i love them. But they only gave 2 pairs. I know its a hassle to get them into the country. This last time, the pants sat in customs for over a month. They have to provide which factory in Bangladesh that these were made in. Total crap shoot.