High-end fashion designers aren’t just creating fancy clothes for celebrities and the super wealthy anymore. They’re now designing uniforms for the average working Joe! 

For example, up and coming designer Prabal Gurung has created clothes for everyone from Demi Moore to Oprah. But he recently teamed up with the beauty supply chain Sephora to create stylish black-and-red uniforms, which employees will start wearing this spring. 

Also, New York Fashion Week superstar Sophie Theallet has designed outfits for First Lady Michelle Obama. But her latest design, a spill-proof silk dress, is now worn by female employees at the upscale Gramercy Park Hotel in New York.

So, why are some of the most creative designers in the world creating standard employee uniforms?

Cindi Leive is the editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine. And she says designers crave a challenge. And dreaming up uniforms is the ultimate test. Since they have to be stylish, budget-friendly, and durable enough to be worn everyday.

And companies are happy to shell out big bucks to overhaul their uniforms, because the uniforms become an expression of the company’s overall style. So they can affect how a brand or company is perceived by the public. 

Also, studies show that when employees feel good about what they’re wearing, they’re more productive and perform better.