16Design Zone Josep Abril Design contributing class and style Josep Abril was born in Barcelona, in 1962. He studied Fine Arts and Fashion in his ho- metown city and in 1991 was awarded the Gaudí Prize to new designers. Six years later he showed his first collection in Barcelona and since then he continued to present his collections in the official circuit of Moda Bar- celona. International projection came in 1998, and as of 2003 he is he Creative Di- rector of the Armand Basi Men collection. His designs may be defined as sober and modern. Abril is a teacher of regular and Master courses in several design schools. Corporate uniforms became a part of his creative dynamics. Uniformed by Josep Abril is the powerhouse of extraordinary crea- tions, comfor table and of outstanding esthe- tics that mean those wearing these uniforms know they look elegant and not just as members of the staff in a business. Class and style define uniforms created for the corpo- rate images of Hotel Carlos I, Monvinic, Santa Restaurant and Hotel Omm, among others. ference. I’m talking of uniforms worn by staff members of Hotel OMM. Do you design uniforms for men only? Or for both men and women? Obviously, for both men and women. I would not be able to conceive the idea of creating uniforms in any other way. Can we think of uniforms as Unisex, with just minor difference? Not at all. It will depend on the project in par ticular. Do you design collections for other la- bels or companies? I’ve always created them for my own label: Uniformed by Josep Abril How often do you think companies or businesses should renovate the image of their staff? If they have a good image to start with, minor adjustments may be made to it for many years and it can even become the symbol of a company.Think of the Mon- vinic aprons, for instance. staff? Are there any pending matters in this sense? For an airline, for instance. My heart crin- ges when I see them... Why did you start working on uniforms? Was it an idea you had in mind as you started with urban fashion? It wasn’t an idea but rather, more of a What is the sector with the best uniforms? I believe there’s much room to grown in every sense, from materials to colours, sha- pes, etc. Sometimes, when I enter a place that is architecturally contemporary in con- cept (hotels, restaurants, airline offices, etc.) I notice uniforms are completely out of tune. challenge. The owner of proposed it, and asked me to create uni- forms that would look different, fitting the image of her hotel. That was some 9 years ago, and it continues to make a dif- Hotels and restaurants, the hospitality sector, without a doubt a special hotel Josep Abril suggests that uniforms need to be aptly interpreted, so as not to spoil the harmony of what a business or company wants to convey. What is the sector you would like to work with, designing uniforms for their In what ways can a good image boost sales, indirectly? Is it important to think of how sales attendants will look? Is this value to be equated with professionalism and good personal service? Absolutely. For the first thing you notice about any person is the way they are dres- ses. So, good uniforms need to be, precisely, “uniform”, but they also need to let the per- son show, conveying the personality of every member in that team or staff. One last question or request: please tell us what you think of the current situation in this sector? Have uniforms and corporate wear improved? Are we still tied up to the classics? Should esthetic changes be gradual and slow? JOBWEAR 63, NoI / 2013