One of the most compelling ways to appeal to consumers is to have a clear brand story that connects with your target audience’s values. One of the best ways to do this is to work with companies that are masters of storytelling — heritage clothing brands.
For example, when someone hears “Levi’s jeans,” they don’t just think about pants. They think about the entire story Levi’s has woven into their marketing. Designed to serve those living in the frontier American West, Levi’s has a reputation for long-lasting quality and rugged strength. The name brings to mind gold rush towns, hard-working men and women, and the courage of the pioneers.
Other brands where the mention of the name brings to mind an entire brand story include Chanel, L.L. Bean, and Patagonia.
By working with heritage brands to create your hotel’s uniforms, you can connect the hotel brand to the story of the heritage brand, helping you both connect better with your ideal customers.
Building your brand story
Hotels that aren’t part of a national chain have a unique opportunity to set themselves apart, but this can also be a challenge. You have a chance to define your brand and the story around it, creating a unique destination that people will be eager to visit.
The first step is to determine your target audience. The values and passions of this audience will tell you where your brand story should focus. However, it’s essential to also be authentic. You can’t fabricate a brand story — instead, you should build a story related to your history, founders, and other elements of the brand.
In the same way, when choosing a heritage brand to collaborate with for uniforms, look for one that aligns with the brand story and your audience’s values. For example, an outdoorsy hotel that caters to nature enthusiasts could work with Patagonia.
Why work with heritage brands?
Choosing to collaborate with a heritage brand can be more expensive than simply getting mass-produced uniforms from a supplier. However, buying from heritage brands is well worth it.
Heritage brands are committed to quality, so the uniforms you design together will last far longer than mass-produced clothing. That means fewer repairs and replacements and less time with uniforms that are out of commission, saving you money overall.
Also, you’ll get far better attention to detail when it comes to ensuring the design, color, and other elements of the uniform match your brand and vision. When you’re working hard to define your brand in a way that stands out in the marketplace, these details matter.
Finally, heritage brands can create uniforms that your employees are proud to wear. How your team wears the uniform can make a big difference in how your brand is perceived by guests. Being dressed for success and knowing they look good will help your employees serve guests more effectively.
How to collaborate with heritage brands
The first step is to find a heritage clothing brand that resonates with your hotel brand image and target market. Reach out and ask if they’d be interested in collaborating with your hotel on custom uniforms.
Once you find a partner, it’s time to think about how your uniforms should look. What colors represent your brand? Colors are important — different colors can make your guests feel different ways. For example, people around the world associate red with love and yellow with joy. Cool colors are calming and relaxing, while warm colors are exciting and energetic.
It’s also important to combine the historical elements of the heritage brand with modern uniform design. If you have an upscale luxury hotel, stylish uniforms that are still easy to work in are ideal. A more rugged, nature-focused hotel brand can use casual and classy outdoorsy uniforms.
Because you’re working with an existing brand, you can work together to promote the new uniforms. The heritage brand can gain additional exposure, and your hotel can start to share its story with your target audience. Collaborative commercials, social media posts, and more can help both brands expand their reach.
Using heritage brand uniforms to tell your story
A brand story has a variety of elements. Everything from your website to your logo to your uniforms should be cohesive and support the story. An example of a great designer/hotel collaboration was the 2014 uniform design for JW Marriott Houston Downtown.
The new uniforms allowed employees to show individuality while staying in line with the brand’s upscale, classy image. The hotel chose materials that were high-quality and easy to work in, and the employees loved the change.
When you collaborate with a heritage brand for your uniforms, you can go one step further. You can take advantage of the heritage brand’s existing story and connection with consumers to build your hotel’s identity, tell your own story, and help promote the heritage clothing brand as well.
Best of all, your employees will look great, feel great, and be able to serve your guests at a top level.
