There are hotels, and then there is The Savoy. A century of glamour on the Strand, a guest list that reads like a history book, and a bar, The Beaufort, that has poured cocktails for the great and the good for generations. When the call came to dress its people, we knew this was a project where every stitch would be seen.
The brief was exacting, as you'd expect from one of London's most demanding hotels. The uniforms needed to nod to the Savoy's art deco heritage without tipping into costume, sit within a gold-and-cream palette that echoed the hotel's interiors, and — crucially — survive the realities of a working bar. Glamour that could go through the wash. That was the challenge.
So we started, as we always do, with the cloth. The hero fabric was a washable jacquard: rich enough to read as luxury under the Beaufort's lighting, robust enough for nightly service and a hot wash come morning. The detailing was where the period nods lived, gold buttons with a quiet art deco line, collar and cuff finishes that referenced the era without shouting about it. Every choice had a reason. A button that catches the light is lovely; a button that survives a thousand wears and still catches the light is the point. This is the kind of work led by our specialist hospitality team at Gresham Blake Studios, where fashion-led design meets the hard practicalities of dressing a hotel floor.
Then came the fittings, which are always our favourite part. There's a particular thing that happens when you watch a bartender reach, pour, twist and shake in a jacket you've cut; you see instantly whether it works. Behind the Beaufort Bar we adjusted for movement, for the long reach to the top shelf, and for the hours on their feet. A uniform that looks immaculate standing still but binds across the shoulders mid-service.
Projects like The Savoy are where the whole Gresham Blake story comes together: the heritage and craft of the Brighton tailoring house, channelled into the specialist hospitality arm now dressing some of the finest hotels in the world. Read the full case study on the Gresham Blake Studios site.