Uniforms are at the heart of the American workforce. The design tropes have inspired more than one designer; Willy Chavarria recently showed a collection exploring all facets of the blue-collar worker.
Though rich in design motifs, wearing one is not always something employees look forward to. For the management and wait staff at New York’s Maison Close, the upscale and lively French bistro in Soho, dressing for their next shift is about to get a whole lot more fun thanks to a new collaboration with Cotte d’Armes by designer and multi-hyphenate artist Clarence Ruth. FashionNetwork.com spoke to Ruth on the latest project.
While designers have been tapped for hospitality service outfits in the past, the Maison Close x Cotte d’Armes by Clarence Ruth collaboration stands out for its co-branding and the fusion of culinary excellence with craftsmanship that draws cues from each brand’s heritage.
The collection offers waitstaff uniforms, bartender attires, and manager ensemble styles. Ruth made the bold choice of ivory for the waitstaff and bartender: a bellhop-reminiscent jacket and vest, respectively. The jacket features a denim backside with Cotte d’Armes brand signature lacing detail, while the vest’s drawstring-included backside is blue shirting stripes, which serve as lining on both. Management will don a navy double-breasted jacket featuring the denim panel backside. Both jacket styles feature a red emblem tag co-branded with the restaurant’s signature line drawing and Cotte d’Armes logo.
Approaching the capsule collection required a different mindset for Ruth.
“It’s more than just making the garments; they have to be functional in this case. To prepare, I visited the restaurant several times, watched how they worked, and observed their routine. I needed fabrics they can move in,” the designer told FahsionNetwork.com at a dinner to celebrate the project.
“Since they are this nice ivory color, I had to consider potentially staining and how to prevent those, so I sourced a stain-resistant, water-resistant fabric,” he added.
For inspiration, Ruth looked to the 1940s and 1950s.
“I love that period as a design era. I referenced French waiters at that time. They were so stylish and chic,” he noted. Models also wearing the styles even donned white gloves for the look, a hallmark of that time.
“At Maison Close, we believe that every detail contributes to the guest experience—including what our team wears,” said Theliau Probst and Thibaut Castet, owners of Maison Close.
“This collaboration with Cotte d’Armes allowed us to bring the essence of French elegance into every thread, merging our passion for hospitality with a design vision that feels both timeless and bold.”
Ruth, also the 2022 Tommy Hilfiger New Legacy Challenge winner, is no stranger to collaboration, having produced a limited-edition capsule collection in partnership with the Tommy Hilfiger brand and the Mercedes Petronas Formula 1 team.
In his remarks during dinner to the guests, the multi-faceted creator shared his journey with collaboration, recalling his childhood where he had five natural siblings, and his parents fostered 30 disadvantaged children when he was growing up.
“My mother would sit us all down each time a new kid was arriving to coach us on being collaborative and open. She said, ‘You have to come to this situation with an open mind’. It was then I realized how powerful collaboration was, to be in the mindset of being open to them and their culture as well,” Ruth recalled adding, “It created something beautiful, amazing, and powerful, so for me in my position as a creative artist, that is why I live in the space of collaboration.
“I was all for this collaboration with Maison Close. IYKYK. It’s the most exciting restaurant in the area right now, so I suggest you come to their brunch to see a show. I am blessed they gave me free rein. That is heaven for a creative, and all entities make it great when they come together to be inspired by their culture and mine,” he continued.
Ruth was connected through Sharon La Ruffa, VP of strategy, revenue and partnerships of Tailwind Consultancy, who connects brands for high-impact partnership moments.
Ruth met the moment, a philosophy he lives by in his work. “As an artist, I always look to what is happening at a moment in time. I see it as my role to document and express a particular moment. The mediums I chose depend on what fits the idea the best. For instance, a canvas has different constraints than a garment and vice versa,” he reflected.
This time, he made the chicest, envy-producing server outfits in the New York hospitality scene.
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