Fashionable Uniforms

By Udita Chaturvedi

Photography: Courtesy the designer; tajvivanta.com 

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With uniforms as important and significant harbingers of the hospitality industry, fashion forays in its interiors, dress-code and stylized ambiances, have, and continue to reign as the cutting-edge mantras – the aces that build recall value! 

Fashion Designer, Raghavendra Rathore, is known for his many hats; from concept design, furniture and interiors to product and packaging; besides his signature couture collections for men and women. His foray into designing uniforms for the likes of Taj group of hotels, ITC, and the Park, Chennai among others, are fitting precedents to his latest chic ensembles for the 30 hotels of the Taj Vivanta group across India.

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Predominantly inspired by contemporary western appeal, with subtle indo-chic influences, the uniforms for Taj Vivanta exude glamour, luxury and style. They use viscose blends for “high durability and longevity” and the fabric selected sports an anti-faded look despite regular washing. Following an earthy palette of beiges, browns and crèmes, the senior staff is dressed in darker shades and heavier fabrics, while the others are given lighter tones with layering to easily differentiate each department.

The designs have also been adapted to the individual hotel interiors, local influences and geographical locations: warmer for hills, lighter silhouettes for plains and playful tones for coasts.

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Understanding the basic role of a uniform – a dress-alike standardization – beyond its face value to build on the ‘human-contact recall’, which is the buzz of the service industry, hospitality and high level businesses and corporations work towards “visual appeal, visible familiarity and lack of visual hostility” via good uniform design. Used as an extended tool of an effective marketing strategy, it is also a constant reminder of staff cohesiveness and camaraderie.

Raghavendra Rathore

“The services sector has a crucial interplay with the masses and hence a fantastic design that conveys the message of the company, synchs well with a practical, durable design that does not hinder functionality,” concludes Rathore.