This invention relates to protective clothing/ workwear garments.

Some known workwear garments have afforded little actual protection to a wearer in hazardous 5 environments, and have also tended to tear easily along seams or blanket stitches at points of stress.

A protective clothing or workwear garment in accordance with the invention is made of non-woven material and has no material joining members

10 (e.g. seam(s) or blanket stitch(es)) in material and has no seam(s) or blanket stitch(es) in the shoulder blade stress area (as defined below) of the garment.

Such a garment affords excellent protection

2_5 to a wearer in hazardous environments, and also tends not to tear easily along seams or blanket stitches.

The shoulder blade stress area of the garment is that portion of the garment where during use stress is applied by the shoulder blades of the wearer.

20 Suitably, the two arm and torso portions of the garment are integral whereby the garment has no seams or blanket stitches at all therebetween. Alter¬ natively, the two arm and torso portions of the garment are joined by seams or blanket stitches which are provided

25 at a distance away from the shoulder blade stress areas. Preferably, the two arm and torso portions of the garment are joined by seams or blanket stitches in the "drop shoulder" fashion.

The two arm and torso portions of the garment- may form a generally T shape (when the garment is laid flat) , the inside edge of the arms forming an angle between 80 and 110° (preferably around 100°) with the side of the torso portion. Such allows the wearer of the garment to raise their arms without the torso of the garment being lifted up.

The garment is advantageously made from a .laminate non-woven material comprising two webs of spunbonded fibres sandwiching a central web of melt- blown fibres. In particular, the garment may be made from the material disclosed in .European Patent Application No.87302583.5 (the contents of which are incorporated herewith by reference) . Such provides a garment which will afford excellent protection to a wearer.

The garment is preferably used as a functional, lightweight outer garment for mechanics, painters, asbestos strippers, sewage personnel, chemical personnel, tyre fitters and the like..

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a garment in accordance with the invention, •

Figure 2 is a rear view of the garment of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a front view of a further garment in accordance with the invention.

The functional, lightweight outer protective clothing/workwear garment 10 shown in the drawings has a torso portion 12 in four parts 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d, two leg portions 14 and 16, and two arm portions lδ and 20. The various portions of the garment 10 are joined together by the various seams and blanket stitches as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Such seams and stitches can be sewn to either the outside or inside of the garment. The front of the torso portion 12 is also provided with a zip fastener 22.

In Figure 2, the shoulder blade stress areas of the garment are indicated by circles and the arrows A and B, and it will be noted that no seam or blanket stitch extends within these stress areas. The. blanket stitches that are shown in Figures 1 and 2, are all positioned at a distance away from these stress areas, in a "drop shoulder" fashion. ^{Tne two arm} portions 18 and 20, and torso parts 12a to d are arranged to form a generally "T" shape when the garment is laid flat, and the inside edge of the arm portions form an angle around 100° w:th the sides of the torso portions. The garment is made from a laminate ncn-woven material comprising two webs of spunbonded fibres sandwiching a central web of melt-blown fibres. I...

particular, the three web layer is pattern or ultra- sonically bonded together and the surface(s) hot •calendered, to provide a garment having a particle, fibrous and liquid barrier. The garment 10 is made from material having a basis weight of less than about 4 ounces per square yard, whereby the garment can be useα as a lightvreight outer protective clothing/workwear garment.

In Figure 3, a similar garment to that shown in Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated, except that the garment 24 of Figure 3 has a torso portion 26 in two parts 26a and 26b which are folded over and joined together front and back thereby eliminating the need for a shoulder seam.