The Brief
The Prince Akatoki London is a Forbes Five-Star boutique hotel near Marble Arch, fusing a tranquil Japanese aesthetic with a sophisticated western sensibility to create a one-of-a-kind urban sanctuary. The word Akatoki, meaning ‘dawn’ in Japanese, conveys the tranquillity and possibility that each new day brings. Serenity and mindfulness are the watchwords; 82 exquisitely designed rooms and suites sit alongside TOKii, a refined Japanese-inspired restaurant. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, The Prince Akatoki offers guests a place to relax, recharge and replenish — quietly unlike anywhere else in London.
The Fashionizer team was approached to design and develop the bespoke staff uniform concept as part of the new global brand image for StayWell Holdings group and its parent company Prince Hotels Inc., with The Prince Akatoki London being the first property to open. Fashionizer conceived a versatile global design concept expressing the brand’s core identity, yet easily adapted to suit different international locations as each new property opens. It was important that the designs embodied the brand’s principles, focusing on a minimal, considered aesthetic reflecting Japanese cultural traditions. The London commission was completed within a very tight timeline.
Fashionizer's Uniform Solution
The simplicity of a Japanese aesthetic meant that shape and colour were the primary design considerations, with high-quality fabrics dyed in subtle tones used throughout. Clean lines and sophisticated elegance shaped the approach, achieving a harmonious blend of Japanese detailing on garments that still feel entirely at home in Europe.
The brand’s signature colour, ‘dawn’, is a delicate cherry-blossom pink, redolent of the early morning sky, and is used as an accent detail throughout the uniforms at The Prince Akatoki. The management and concierge team wear blue-grey suits with ‘dawn’ coloured ties and pocket squares, while female staff wear complementary blue-grey dresses featuring distinctive high collars with an inner neck trim and belt in the brand’s signature pink. The front of house team wear stone-coloured suits, with female staff accessorising with an ombré pink silk twill scarf. All front of house uniforms are tailored in 100% superfine wool — a luxurious, durable fabric suitable across all seasons.
In the Japanese-inspired restaurant TOKii and The Malt Lounge, hostesses are dressed in an origami-inspired asymmetrical off-the-shoulder blue-grey cotton dress with a contrasting ‘dawn’ neck trim. Waiters wear stone asymmetrical placket shirts. The food and beverage uniforms are designed for both style and practicality, with a natural fibre elastane blend affording ease of movement and comfort throughout service.
The Prince Akatoki London has held Forbes Five-Star accreditation for five consecutive years — one of the most rigorous hospitality accolades in the world, assessing over 900 criteria with particular emphasis on service excellence, staff presentation and sense of place. Fashionizer’s bespoke uniforms, rooted in the hotel’s Japanese identity and executed with meticulous attention to detail, contribute directly to the seamless, immersive guest experience that Five-Star recognition demands.
