NAUMD Image Award Recipient - 2020

Uniform n.: dress of a distinctive design or fashion worn by members of a particular group and serving as a means of identification 

Uniforms should reflect a company’s brand ethos; it’s culture and values yet meet the necessary functionality requirements. It is with care and creativity that J.A.Uniforms designs and prepares look books for our clients to evaluate what best suits them. 

Once a year, J.A. Uniforms, revisits its uniform program designs, and chooses one to submit to the North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) as a contender for the Image of the Year Award®. The NAUMD recognizes the best workplace apparel programs each year since 1978. It’s the uniform industry’s “Oscars”, if you will.  This year we are honored to receive the Image of the Year Award (hotels/ single location) for our work with the Mr. C Miami -Coconut Grove, recognizing the project's design, branding, functionality, and technological innovation. 

Graceful and refined, Mr. C’s uniform program was designed to serve the staff at a newly built nautically themed luxury boutique hotel - developed and owned by the Cipriani family - and located in tropical, Coconut Grove, Florida. The hotel-wide uniform program was created to be sharp and tailored, using blues, grays, and whites evocative of the Italian coastline that is home to Cipriani’s first hotel - Hotel Cipriani in Venice. 

One’s first experience of the Mr. C Miami -Coconut Grove begins with the Bellman’s custom Admiral-blue double-breasted vest with matching pants in a flattering modern fit and a contrasting white shirt. The vest is finished with a jacquard embossed lining and adjustable back slide to create a tailored silhouette. The final touch being a black bowtie that mirrors Mr. C’s elegant yet whimsical logo.

Upon entering the hotel designed by the world renown architecture firm - Arquitectonica - guests are greeted by female Front Desk staff wearing a custom made, form flattering, admiral-blue princess cut dress. The dress is designed to blend with the hotel’s interior nautical motif and is accented with a custom made maritime themed patterned scarf in rose that plays off the lobbies airy colors but most importantly, Cipriani’s world famous rose-colored drink - the Bellini.  The male Front Desk attendants wear a matching unstructured double-breasted suit with a stylish and elegant vibe. 

At the rooftop Bellini Restaurant overlooking Biscayne Bay, hostesses wear a vintage inspired admiral-blue blouse dress with subtle white details, ¾ sleeves with a white contrast cuff, a matching fabric belt for accommodating and flattering different body types and a knife-pleated skirt that enhances movement creating a glamorous effect. The bartenders set the scene in a striking rose-colored, double-breasted jacket for men and a single-breasted fitted design for women. The look is finished with a crisp white dress shirt and the Mr. C classical black bow tie. The Bellini waiters sport the same jackets in crisp evocative white to further infuse the restaurant’s ambiance with an old-world sophistication.

The final designs were guided by the hotel’s branding and furthered the serene and comfortable feel the management sought to strike. The male double-breasted jackets and vests, for example, impart both a nautical vibe with a nostalgic allure while stretch fabrics and unstructured blazers offer the comfort and breathability needed in the tropical climate of Coconut Grove, Florida. 

To accomplish the sophisticated and unique look that this project required, J.A. Uniforms custom designed the uniform program, and manufactured all the pieces in-house at our Miami factory. Thus, allowing for a quick turnaround time and the flexibility needed in rolling out a custom uniform program for the grand opening of a newly constructed luxury hotel. On-time delivery, a J.A. Uniforms cornerstone, is ultimately the outcome of a workflow process that’s been finely honed over many years. 

It is evident that the successful outcome of this type of project is dependent on teamwork. We are not only thankful to our client for putting their trust in us, but also to the dedicated team that makes up J.A. Uniforms. We are honored to have been recognized with the Image of the Year Award for the second time and are fully dedicated to the exciting endeavors ahead.  

-Alex Arencibia