Oil and gas workers once had few options for on-the-job fashion: standard street wear or heavy-duty firefighting gear. Flame-retardant clothing was bulky, expensive and hot, but the alternative — jeans and T-shirts — proved dangerous in environments where explosions and fires can be all in a day’s work.
In 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration came up with new clothing regulations for the industry. Some outraged companies considered suing, claiming the discomfort of fire-retardant clothing actually made work more hazardous. But since then, manufacturers have created lighter, more breathable options — in more fashionable styles, too.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Fracking fashionistas.
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