Nicholas Oakwell, Founder and Creative Director, NO Uniform

Posted in People on 31 July, 2024

From big brands to bespoke boutiques, Nicholas Oakwell has dressed many of the well-heeled teams who cater to our every need.

Until recently, when arriving at a smart hotel, it was seldom the doorman’s garb that grabbed my attention – but that was before I met Nicholas Oakwell. Now, I scrutinise and judge their uniforms accordingly with a newfound appreciation that like the design-led interiors its wearers inhabit, these too have gone through a rigorous design process. Awaiting the arrival of Oakwell, in London’s Rosewood hotel, instead of the fittings, architecture and art, I find myself admiring the sharply dressed concierge – and not just for his disarming smile.

Raffles Doha / Assistant Manager. Photograph by Khalid Bari

Airlines have an established history of calling on fashion houses to create the brand ‘look’ – from Air France’s 1962 collaboration with Christian Dior, to Savile Row designer Ozwald Boateng’s recent overhaul for British Airways, to Emilia Wickstead’s yet to be unveiled collection for Air New Zealand. Joining their high-flying counterparts, hotels are increasingly turning to fashion designers, to help deliver that all important ‘sense of place’ – once the sole preserve of the interior design teams. But while many have channelled their haute couture credentials into one-off collections for brands, few have chosen to swap their choice of runway permanently.

Fairmont Doha/ Manager. Photograph by Khalid Bari

Looking every inch the fashion designer, Oakwell makes his entrance. Like me, albeit with a far more discerning eye, I watch as he scans the staff’s attire. Giving nothing away, he joins me with a warm smile. “It’s been twelve years since I designed these uniforms,” he tells me. “and it’s exactly the same uniform. I’ve tried to push them a little bit to let me evolve it, but it’s become embedded in their brand identity – which is great – but means they’re reluctant to change.”

Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London / Guest Relation

To my untrained eye, the uniforms look great. Sharp tailoring and flattering shapes, in a coherent mix of country tweeds, bold checks and rich velvets. But what do I know?

Oakwell’s design story began at Epsom School of Art and Design (now the Surrey Institute). Originally drawn to couture, he changed direction when he observed a decline in demand for bespoke. Swapping couture for craft, he gravitated towards millinery, creating a collection of 16 hats for his degree show. And here is where the fairytale begins.

“The day after the show, I was contacted by Harvey Nichols, who bought the entire collection,” he tells me, pausing for dramatic effect, before continuing. “Ten days later, they called again, this time asking for ‘as many hats, as fast as you can make them,’ and by the end of the season I had produced 40.” With his name out there, the designers came calling – all looking for hats to go with their collections. “Suddenly I was running a business. I was just 20 and had no idea what the hell I was doing. It was exciting, but scary!” Despite working for the likes of Dior, Katharine Hamnett and Amanda Wakeley, at the age of 23 deciding enough was enough, he shut up shop. “I knew I didn’t understand business – I was too creative and had a lot to learn.”

Jumeirah Carlton Tower, London / Hostess

Returning to his original ambition to design couture, Oakwell spent the next six years working for Danish designer, Isabell Kristensen before turning full circle when given the opportunity to lead the in-house design workshop at Harvey Nichols. “It was incredible. Alongside running the workrooms, I was taught everything from financial merchandising to financing a start-up business. I have no idea why they taught me the latter…” he laughs. Putting his newfound business acumen to good use, he successfully launched his own eponymous couture label, ultimately leading to the 2002 launch of NO Uniform.

Oakwell’s first foray in uniform design came with the opening of the My Hotel, Chelsea. “A friend of mine asked if I would be interested in designing uniforms for 45 staff. I was still at Harvey Nichols, so it meant working evenings and days off. At the opening party I was introduced to the GM of the Great Eastern hotel (now the Andaz) who was blown away with what she saw and asked if I would design the uniforms for her staff.” Until then they had been dressing their teams in Paul Smith and Kenzo – which was not going down too well with their guests who were often dressed the same. Initially reluctant, feeling it was straying too far away from fashion he was soon persuaded by the idea of dressing 200 people along with a very healthy fee.

Looking back to those first jobs, I ask Oakwell about the experience. “Well, let’s say it was a learning curve,” he says with a smile that verges on a grimace. “So many impractical uniforms! I was using linens and basically all the wrong fabrics. The look was right because I was given so much freedom – Japanese wrap martial arts trousers in the Japanese restaurant, Kilts in the bar, all using men’s tailoring to reflect city dressing, with ‘made in England’ written on the side. But the fabrications were all wrong.”

Research and development into sourcing the correct fabrics plays a major role in NO Uniforms success. “The way that I have always worked, is to first select a fabric for visualisation, and then see if it can be responsibly reproduced into something that’s suitable. Sustainability is as important as durability – so we look at both its past and future life – and we’re currently working with a ‘leather’ that has been made from olives.”

The conversation that follows, involves the overarching need for fabrics that breath, the obvious problems of fibres that make you sweat and finding stain resistant coatings that last beyond the first five washes. The recent development of adding the finishes to unspun yarns appears to be a game-changer, “It’s incredible,” he tells me, “You can literally spill anything – coffee, red wine, whatever – and just shake it off.”

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair. Photograph by Mel Yates

Today, Oakwell is the master of fabrications, with a five-star client list comprised of major global brands. Having just kitted out the beautifully dressed teams at London’s latest opening, Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair, I ask what form a brief takes and the process that follows.

At the mention of the word ‘brief’, he smiles. “A lot of the time, the client doesn’t know what they want. Often, they will show me pictures, tell me they liked something I have done at another hotel, and say that’s what they want. I will then explain that’s not how we work and start looking at what it is they really want. So, following that initial meeting, the first process is a mood board workshop where I will present a selection of images and ideas. I say to them; look at the whole picture, don’t like something just because you would like to wear it, think about the atmosphere it’s creating, how the colours work together – it’s everything, not just the outfit. It’s a process of elimination, and what they don’t like is as important to me as what they do. We are now starting to define where it is we’re going.”

Back in the workshop, the mood boards are tidied up, new things added, red herrings thrown in to surprise and open the mind – and give Oakwell an idea of whether they are going to be receptive to more ideas. Taking fashion inspiration from what’s happening around him, applying shapes and details from the season, he starts to draft the final designs. “At this point, I have complete tunnel vision and I work fast, knowing exactly what I’m doing.”

Thankfully the idea that hotel staff should stand quietly in the background – be seen and not heard – is a thing of the past. Now, General Managers talk in terms of wanting personalities to shine through. “Everyone has a story to tell,” one CEO recently told me. Unlike couture, uniforms have myriad roles to fulfil. It needs to capture the brand’s DNA, be visually distinguishable to guests, look contemporary and fashionable within its surroundings, whilst not shouting too loudly. And heaven forbid it outshines the clientele or the interiors. Acknowledging it’s a balancing act of many parts, Oakwell explains. “When you come into a hotel or restaurant, the staff are very much part of the experience. If you don’t really notice the uniform, but you know you’re looking at a beautiful dress, or a great suit, then for me that’s a job well done. Ultimately nothing should outshine anything else – the interiors, the food, the service, right down to the flowers – must be harmonious. Everything needs to flow seamlessly, and you should leave having had an amazing experience, without being able to put your finger on one single element. That to me is clever hospitality.”

With three designers working on six projects, there’s a lot going on in NO Uniform’s Bermondsey workshop. With NDAs like those in the interiors world, Oakwell is unable to share the projects he’s working on but tells me the team are operating at full capacity. Having just come from a briefing for an undisclosed hotel, I ask him how it went. “It’s still in the early stages,” he smiles. “I just told him what I tell all my clients: You’re the conductor. You need to tell me how loud I need to play, and when I need to play.”