Uniform of Porfirio Díaz, about 1900

A uniform is worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates in prisons. In some countries, some other officials also wear uniforms in their duties; such is the case of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service or the French prefects. For some public groups, such as police, it is illegal for non members to wear the uniform. Other uniforms are trade dressed (such as the brown uniforms of UPS).

Service and work uniforms[link]

Sailor (Harry Walker, photographer, circa 1910)

Workers sometimes wear uniforms or corporate clothing of one nature or another. Workers required to wear a uniform include retailer workers, bank and post office workers, public security and health care workers, blue collar employees, personal trainers in health clubs, instructors in summer camps, lifeguards, janitors, public transit employees, towing and truck drivers, airline employees and holiday operators, and bar, restaurant and hotel employees. The use of uniforms by these organizations is often an effort in branding and developing a standard corporate image but also has important effects on the employees required to wear the uniform. However the term 'uniform' is misleading because employees are not always fully uniform in appearance and may not always wear attire provided by the organization, while still representing the organization in their attire. Academic work on organizational dress by Rafaeli & Pratt (1993) referred to uniformity (homogeneity) of dress as one dimension, and conspicuousness as a second. Employees all wearing black, for example, may appear conspicuous and thus represent the organization even though their attire is uniform only in the color of their appearance not in its features. Pratt & Rafaeli, (1997)described struggles between employees and management about organizational dress as struggles about deeper meanings and identities that dress represents. And Pratt & Rafaeli (2001) described dress as one of the larger set of symbols and artifacts in organizations which coalesce into a communication grammar.

• Rafaeli, A. & Pratt, M. J. 1993. Tailored meaning: On the meaning and impact of organizational dress. Academy of Management Review, 18(1): 32-55.
• Pratt, M. & Rafaeli, A. 1997. Organizational dress as a symbol of multilayered social identities. Academy of Management Journal, 40(4): 862-898.
• Pratt, M. G. & Rafaeli, A. 2001. Symbols as a language of organizational relationships. Research in Organizational Behavior, 23: 93-13

U.S. Air Force General Nathan Farragut Twining in Dress Blue uniform

Schools[link]

Uniforms are required in many schools. School uniforms vary from a standard issue T-shirt to rigorous requirements for many items of formal wear at private schools. School uniforms are in place in many public schools as well.

Countries with mandatory school uniforms include Japan, South Korea, Thailand, India, Australia, U.A.E, Singapore,some schools in China, and the United Kingdom, among as many other places. In some countries, uniform types vary from school to school, but in the United Kingdom, many pupils between 11 and 16 of age wear a formal jacket, tie and trousers for boys and blouse, tie and trousers, skirt, or culottes for girls. The ties will usually be in a set pattern for the school, and jackets will usually carry a patch on the breast pocket with the school's name, coat of arms, and motto or emblem. Jackets are being replaced in many schools by sweatshirts bearing the school badge. Children in many United Kingdom state primary schools will have a uniform jumper and/or polo shirt with the school name and logo.

Sports[link]

Most, if not all, professional sports teams also wear uniforms, made in the team's distinctive colors, often in different variations for "home" and "away" games. In the United Kingdom, especially in football the terms "kit" or "strip" (as in 'football kit') are more common.

Security and armed forces[link]

Military personnel or civilian officials generally wear several kinds of uniforms:

• battledress, khakis;
• dress uniform: worn at ceremonies, official receptions, and other special occasions; medals are typically worn.
• mess dress, formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions.
• everyday work uniform, often with abbreviated forms of embellishment (such as using duller buttons or replacing medals with ribbon bars);

Prison[link]

Newly commissioned officers celebrate their new positions by throwing their midshipmen covers into the air as part of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2005 graduation and commissioning ceremony.

Civilian officials[link]

From about 1800 to after the Second World War, diplomats from most countries (and often senior civilian officials generally) wore official uniforms at public occasions. Such uniforms are now retained by only a few diplomatic services, and are seldom worn.

Domestic workers[link]

Domestic workers are often required by their employers to wear a uniform.

Uniform hygiene[link]

In some countries or regions such as the UK, Australia or Hong Kong, the laundry expenses of working- uniform or clothing can be partially deducted or rebated from the personal income tax, if the organization for which the person works does not have a laundry department or an outsourced commercial laundry.^[1][2]

Scouting[link]

Scouting portal

The Scout uniform is a specific characteristic of the Scouting movement, in the words of Baden-Powell at the 1937 World Jamboree, "it covers the differences of country and race and make all feel that they are members one with another of one World Brotherhood". The original uniform, which has created a familiar image in the public eye, consisted of a khaki button-up shirt, shorts and a broad-brimmed campaign hat. Baden-Powell himself wore shorts as being dressed like the youth contributed to reducing distances between the adult and the young person. Nowadays, uniforms are frequently blue, orange, red or green, and shorts are replaced by long pants in areas where the culture calls for modesty, and in winter weather.

Uniform buttons[link]

Some uniforms have specially-manufactured buttons, which, in the case of antiques, often outlast the fabric components of the uniform, and become highly collectable items.^[3]

See also[link]

• Court dress
• Court uniform and dress in the United Kingdom
• Dress code
• Industrial laundry
• Mess dress
• Political uniform
• Uniforms and equipment of the British police
• Uniform and insignia of the Boy Scouts of America
• Windsor uniform

References[link]

Lange Frans
Background information
Birth name	Frans Christiaan Frederiks
Also known as	Lange Frans, Areka
Born	(1980-09-12) September 12, 1980 (age 31)
Origin	Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Genres	Hip hop, Urban music
Occupations	Rapper, radio personality, TV presenter, record producer
Years active	1996 – present
Labels	TopNotch
Associated acts	D-Men, Brutus, Lange Frans & Baas B
Website	Official Site

Frans Christiaan Frederiks known by his stage name Lange Frans (born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on 12 November 1980) is a Dutch rapper and television presenter. Earlier he was part of the band D-Men. Between 2004 and 2008 he was part of Lange Frans & Baas B duo before going solo.

Starting 2008, he also worked for Dutch television station Veronica presenting programs including "My Best Friends", "Veronica Poker", "Lange Frans stelt Kamervragen", "Fobiac" and "Face It!".

In D-Men[link]

In 1997, he was a founding member of a band alongside his rapper brother Brutus Frederiks and childhood friend Bart Zeilstra better known as Baas B. After a freestyle session on a basketball court in Diemen-Zuid, they created hiphop band D-Men.^[1] The English pronunciation of "D-Men" is similar to the Dutch pronunciation of the name of their home town. As D-Men they released their first single entitled "Zoveel Mensen" ("So Many People"), and in 2001, they won a talent contest that was organised by Stichting Grap ("Joke Foundation") in 2001. In later years, many artists joined D-Men, namely Brace, Yes-R & Soesi B, Negativ and DJ MBA.

In Lange Frans & Baas B[link]

Lange Frans & Baas B

In 2004, Frans and Bart Zeilstra already in D-Men formed the duo Lange Frans & Baas B and had a successful career for more than 4 years with three albums Supervisie (2004), Het land van (2005) and Verder (2008) and a number of singles the most successful of which were "Moppie", "Zinloos" both in 2004 and "Mee naar Diemen-Zuid" in 2005. After the murder of Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004 the single "Zinloos" was adapted and some of the lyrics amended to mourn in death. The band split up in March 2009.

The duo came under criticism for over-commercialization of his music from D-Men colleague Negativ and from other Dutch rappers Def P and Kimo.

Solo music and radio/TV career[link]

Lange Frans continued his solo career with varied success. His biggest commercial success was with the single "Zing voor me" featuring Thé Lau. It reached #5 on the Dutch Singles Chart.

He has a 2-hour radio program Lange Frans Goes Wild on WILD FM broadcast on prime time between 7 and 9 pm.^[2] Together with his brother Brutus, he also had a weekly radio show at hip-hop station Lijn5 under the latter's demise.

Personal life[link]

Lange Frans performing in Koninginnedagviering held in Delft in 2007

• Lange Frans (real name Frans Christiaan Frederiks) is the younger brother of Dutch rapper Brutus (full name Thijs Frederiks)
• Before taking the stage name Lange Frans, he used the name Akela
• On 24 March 2006, Lange Frans hit a school student during a performance. Someone had thrown an ice cube at Lange Frans's head protesting some of the lyrics he had used on stage, whereupon Lange Frans jumped from the stage and hit a student. The victim turned out not to have thrown the ice cube. Due to this incident, Lange Frans was not allowed to perform at a Liberation Day music festival in Haarlem.^[3]
• In November 2006 he took part with Frans Bauer and Ali B in a charity single "De leipe Bauer flavour" about victims of landmines.
• Lange Frans married former rider on 9 June 2008 former sportswoman and horse rider Daniëlle van Aalderen. They have one child, a son named Hendrikus Frederick William French born 21 August 2008.
• He took part in a number of television programs including:
  • Hider in the House (Dutch series, season 1)
  • 2009: Van Zon op Zaterdag
  • 2010: Gehaktdag
  • 2010: Expeditie Robinson

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

In Lange Frans & Baas B

Solo

Mixtapes[link]

In D-Men

• 2003: De Straatremixes
• 2004: De Straatremixes Deel 2
• 2004: De Straatremixes Deel 3

Singles[link]

In D-Men

In Lange Frans & Baas B

Solo

Songs and collaborations except for Lange Frans and Bass B[link]

• 2003: "Strippenkaart"
• 2003: "Spreek"
• 2004: "Troonrede"
• 2004: "Pannenkoek" (diss track for Awa)
• 2004: "André" (tribute to André Hazes)
• 2005: "Doofpot"
• 2005: "Testament"
• 2005: "Ik mis je ook"
• 2005: "Kijk ze gek doen"
• 2005: "Les geleerd" (met Brace)
• 2006: "De rijken moeten niet zeiken" (with Jort Kelder)
• 2006: "Als je maar gelukkig bent" (with Gordon)
• 2006: "De deal"
• 2006: "Dit moet een zondag zijn" (F. Frederiks, B. Zeilstra, M. Jafri, L. Jermias, A. Krabman)
• 2006: "De leipe Bauer flavour" with Frans Bauer and Ali B (charity single)
• 2007: "Geil" (with Rowena en Jalise)
• 2007: "Flappen" (with Brutus and Zwarte Sjaak)
• 2007: "Mokum" (with Zwarte Sjaak)
• 2007: "Het zwaard van Damocles" (with Sef Thissen)
• 2007: "Buitenvrouw" (with PLS)
• 2007: "Stem van de Straat"
• 2007: "Nieuwe lichting" (with Extince)
• 2008: "Creme de la Creme" (with OFAH^{[disambiguation needed ]})
• 2008: "Motten" (with Willie Wartaal)
• 2008: "Kanonkoppen" (freestyle) (with Brutus)
• 2008: "Nachtwerk" (with Jobba)
• 2008: "De reünie" (with Negativ)
• 2008: "Ik word gek" (with DJ MBA and Yes-R)
• 2009: "Zonnebril" (101barz)
• 2009: "Delilah" (3FM mix) (with Jayh)
• 2009: "Blijf komen" (with Brutus)
• 2009: "Shit die je zoekt" (with Mitta^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Negativ, Blexxx, Spanker, Dicecream, Nino, Gibba, Lucky LuQ, Nina en T-Slash)
• 2009: "Niet naar huis" (with Jayh, Big2, Rocks, Kempi, Brainpower and RBDjan)
• 2009: "Me boy" (remix with Yes-R and Ali B)
• 2010: "Wolken remix" (with Flinke Namen)
• 2010: "Blauw suede schoenen"
• 2010: "White Choco" (with Yes-R, Sjaak, DJ Issy)
• 2010: "Ik ga voor du top baby" (with Kempi, Ali B and Jayh)
• 2010: "Muziek" (with YS and Hagar)
• 2010: "Leef to the fullest" (with Big2)
• 2010: "Zing voor me" (with Thé Lau)
• 2011: "Stiekem" (Fouradi feat. Lange Frans)
• 2011: "Vrij" (feat. Marco Borsato)

Appearances / Featured in[link]

In albums

• 2004: "Fantasteez Remix" (with ADHD, Khalid de Zandneger, Murth The Man-O-Scrip and VSOP) on ADHD's album Aanbevolen Dagelijkse Hoeveelheid Dopeness
• 2005: "Les geleerd" (with Brace on Brace's album Strijder
• 2006: "Rammeluh" (with The Prophet) on the latter's album Sensation Black
• 2006: "Bouncen" (with Lloyd de Meza on the latter's album Mijn diamant
• 2006: "Alles wat je hebt" (with Negativ) on the latter's album Negativitijdperk
• 2006: "Ja bent van mij" (with The Partysquad and Michael Bryan) on The Partysquad album De bazen van de club
• 2006: "De bazen van de club" (with The Partysquad, QF, Nino and Zwarte Sjaak)) again on the latter's album De bazen van de club
• 2007: "Flappen" with Brutus and Zwarte Sjaak) on the latter's album Gedachtegang
• 2007: "(N.L.) Nwe Lichting" (with Extince, Nina, Jiggy Djé, Winne and Kempi) on Extince album Toch?
• 2007: "Zo Fly" (with Jayh) on the latter's album Jayh.NL
• 2010: "Leef to the fullest" (with Big2 on The Opposites album Succes / Ik ben twan
• 2010: "Kijk Omhoog" (with Kleine Jay) on Cartes & Kleine Jay album Het opwarmertje

In Compilation albums and mixtapes

• 2003: "4 Specialisten" (with Negativ, Baas B and Ali B) on De Gastenlijst album
• 2003: "Spreek" on De Gastenlijst album
• 2009: "Pears" / "Naar De Klote" (with Frederico Franchi) on Total Los Vol. 2 by The Partysquad mixtape
• 2009: "Blauw Suede Schoenen" on So So Lobi mixtape by Winne
• 2010: "Dik Als Een Malle" on The Lost Tracks Pt. 1 by Dokuz & RickySluys
• 2010: "Driemteam" on Extravaganza V by TopNotch

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website