NoUniform was founded by designer Nicholas Oakwell in 2002. The company creates one-of-a-kind uniforms for the hospitality and food service industries; outfitting staff at many of the UK's most prestigious hotels and restaurants.
The design team first holds a consultation with the client in order to discover the brand values that the uniforms have to project, following this with on-site visits. They then prepare extensive drawings of their designs. In addition to the uniforms, the company also supplies matching accessories to achieve an overall look which fits the client's brand. Nicholas believes that many restaurant owners will pay a great deal of money making sure that their premises are beautifully fitted out but often neglect to spend the same attention to detail, care and attention - and money of course - when it comes to equipping their most valuable ambassadors; their staff.
Attention to detail with uniforms reassures patrons and makes the staff look - and feel - more professional,improving staff moral.Nicholas explains that designing uniforms is a far cry for ordinary fashion design. The designs themselves have to be classically designed; they need to look up-to-date for more than one season, unlike catwalk fashions.
In addition, materials have to me more resilient as they will be frequently laundered and there is the important factor of sizing - a good design will look good on all staff regardless of their size, weight and body type. Even the variations in skin tones and hair color have to be taken into account - what looks great on a fair-skinned blonde could look drab on a dark-skinned brunette. All this, in addition to ensuring that the uniforms follow the brand rules and look great in the restaurant.
Providing a good uniform means that the restaurateur will reap rewards as uniforms show staff that the company is investing in them. Gone are the days when you could stick the company logo on an almost-right-but-not-quite colored golf shirt!
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