Enclothed Cognition

At Medelita we cater to a rather vocal group of customers.  They are not shy in telling us what colors we should have, and truthfully, what colors we are "crazy" for not carrying.

We get a ton of emails from curious customers/colleagues - and this has to be the most common question.  What color embroidery do you recommend?  So here goes. 

We received this question from a male physician this week who strongly believes in using sustainable products and minimizing our carbon footprint, and finds value in organic materials.  You can read his blog at www.theseep.com.  See reply below - definitely something for the near future. Question:  "Your lab coats look great and thanks for making them in the U.S.!  I'm looking for both domestically made and made from sustainable resources, so I'd like organic cotton or hemp fabric.  Is this available or is there any option for you to use organic cotton?" Thanks, Clint S., M.D. Answer:  The short answer is that at this time, although we use 100% cotton (grade A) fiber in our lab coats fabric – they are not certified organic.  I wish that they were – it would be a tremendous benefit to our customers and one that I would personally choose, as a customer and someone heavily involved in development and design. Long answer – is that we are a new, small company that is simply trying to find a balance between successful introduction of a new-concept product and keeping costs at a level that will allows us to grow and to make it over this “hurdle” in the economy.  I’m sure you know the statistics, as your blog was quite impressive.  Less than 5% of garments sold in the U.S. are actually made in the U.S.  We are proudly one of those companies.  We both manufacture and retail our products – also a very unusual combination for a new uniform company (most are imported as finished goods and the brand label is applied to the garment).  We utilize modern, technically advanced, 3^rd party certified by the respective patent holder performance fabrics – something very new to the medical apparel industry.  Most uniform companies that “boast” performance characteristics are using generic treatments with very little longevity or effectiveness.  That is not the case with our fabrics.  We pay more per yard of fabric, than almost every single lab coat or scrub company does in total cost of goods – total (!).  So when researching and sourcing various options during the development phase – I very much wanted to introduce organics – but found it to be cost prohibitive at this time.  It’s rather challenging to introduce lab coats and scrubs, such as ours – at a completely different price point than what most clinicians are used to.  We’re talking anywhere from “free” to $40 for a lab coat, and the same for scrubs.  Some immediately see value in the fit, quality, and performance fabrics (especially in person at medical conferences) and don’t think twice about the price.  Others have been “trained” that medical apparel is cheap and disposable, and are turned off by the “new” prices found in medelita and Medelita Men's garments. In terms of organics in our future – it will be aligned with our growth trends.  So please help us to spread the word about www.medelita.com and www.medelita-mens.com.  Our initial introduction of organics will most likely be in the scrub fabric (closest to your body – which makes sense).  We already have plans to work with the new Dri-release E.C.O., as we have a wonderful relationship with Optimer, Inc. and are very impressed with this U.S. based company/developer of all Dri-release brands.  We currently use a Dri-release/FreshGuard fabric in our women’s scrubs. I hope that I can convince you to consider our “made in USA” new men’s lab coats, and will be very proud to inform you the day we introduce organics.

We occasionally get a comment or email along the lines of "Wow that's expensive.  Why?"  I used to just shutter with anxiety when faced with this question.  But that was an early issue . . . long gone.  I wrote this email to a female customer a while back to answer that exact question . . . . As someone who's worn scrubs and lab coats every day of work as a PA for the last 9 years (mainly ER), I was always looking for something of higher quality. Better fabric. Better fit. Better sewing. Better durability. Just an overall better appearance. And comfort - too. I never could say (previously) that my scrubs or lab coat were very comfortable. Abrasive and yucky would be a better description. And when you consider how much time we spend in the darn things - yikes. So all of those "goals" force the price up. Specifically, "made in USA" triples our sewing costs - but that was what I chose to support the U.S. economy and to have a closer eye on quality control. Sewing curves rather than straight lines adds a ton of expense - it is much, much more difficult to sew a woven fabric that truly fits and flatters the female figure. Straight, boxy lines are cheap! One of our mottos is "scrubs are square and women are not." And we sew almost every single seam with a slight curve to it. We even have darting at the bust and great shaping in the rear/leg - giving an elongated appearance that's so flattering. The performance fabrics that we use are more than quadruple the "typical" scrub fabric costs - but I think it's worth it. The fabric lasts much, much longer. It doesn't pill. It doesn't fade. It washes well. And it does something! Our scrubs are moisture wicking and odor resistant (Dri-release/FreshGuard) and our lab coats repel and release stains (Advanced Dual Action Teflon fabric protector). Makes so much sense for a white coat!! We hear from customers who are telling us that "blood literally just rolls off my lab coat." Wonderful! We also spend a great deal of time and expense on customer service, to ensure that everyone has a good experience and that their questions are answered. That's so important to me as a PA/clinician myself, as I'm providing a product to my true colleagues. I stand behind it, personally. So those are just a couple of things that drive the price to be more than the average scrubs and/or lab coat.

Nurse practitioners provide 125,000 solutions to the primary care shortage

It's not that we're about flaunting our success . . . we are simply genuinely excited. Over the last few days we exhibited our lab coats and scrubs at AOA in New Orleans. We are very proud to say it was a huge success. Both men and women welcomed the shift from poor quality fabrics, unflattering/unprofessional designs to beautifully soft/high performance/fluid resistant performance fabrics coupled with a more professional and prestigious look. It was a pleasure meeting all of you at our booth. If you were unable to order at the conference and would still like the conference promotion please contact medelita customer service at 877-987-7979 by Nov 18th to receive the special discounts. We look forward to seeing all of you again at AOA/OMED San Francisco next year.

We introduced our three new styles of men's lab coats at American College of Gastroenterology conference in San Diego this week to huge fan fair!  The three styles called Osler, Laennec  and Flemming have a significantly more sophisticated,  tailored & professional appearance than the typical ubiquitous men's white coat.  Most, if not all the physicians visiting our booth commented on "what nice fabric it is" and were thoroughly  impressed by the fluid resistant properties, thanks to the Advanced Dual Action Teflon fabric protector stain repel and release technology, allowing most liquids, including blood, to roll right off. However, the style and fit were the impetus for their purchase. One male doc commented that "this is the first men's lab coat he has ever purchased." He then went on to say that he usually buys woman's coats to look more stylish and was thrilled to find such a stylish,well made men's white coat. The conference attendees were especially thrilled to have their name and title embroidered on their new white coats. These three styles will be available for purchase on our site early next month and medelita will follow up with the launch of the new Medeilta Men's site scheduled for November 16th.

“National PA Week provides us the perfect opportunity to raise awareness of the central role PAs have in shaping the future of health care in this country, and across the world,” says Medelita founder Lara Manchik, who brings a decade of experience as a PA to her breakthrough line of medical apparel.

We received our first box of lab coats today for our philanthropic cause, Coats for a Cause.  This is a strong indication of  the desire of the entire medical communities to give back - as the program is only in it's infancy and has not launched.

“We are flattered that our lab coat is worn by Dr. Masterson on the show,” said Medelita Founder Lara Manchik. “Masterson is the epitome of a high achieving female healthcare professional — exactly the person for whom I developed Medelita’s line of high performance lab coats and scrubs. As a doctor, she has experience and qualifications and, as a TV personality, she will be judged equally on presentation and credentials.”