Case Study: Creating a Cohesive Japanese-Inspired Uniform Look for Kureta

Client and Project Background 

Client Overview: 

Kureta is a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant located within JW Marriott Auckland. The new restaurant opened in December 2025, offering a premium dining experience to hotel guests and other customers.

Client Needs:  

As part of the restaurant’s opening, Kureta required a complete uniform solution for its front-of-house and kitchen teams. The garments needed to reflect the restaurant’s Japanese identity while remaining practical and comfortable for each role.

Goals and Objectives: 

The primary goal was to create a polished and cohesive uniform look that complemented Kureta’s high-end dining environment. Each garment also needed to support the functional requirements of front-of-house staff and chefs while helping employees feel proud to represent the brand.

Project Execution

Types of Apparel Developed:

The front-of-house uniform included:

• White mandarin-collar shirts
• Black trousers
• White waist aprons featuring the Kureta logo 
  

The chef uniform included:

• White zip-front chef jackets featuring the Kureta logo
• Black chef trousers 

Customisation of Designs and Products:

The Kureta logo was applied to the white waist aprons and chef jackets, creating a consistent branded detail across the restaurant’s customer-facing and kitchen teams.

The white and black colour palette produced a clean, refined appearance, while the mandarin-collar shirts introduced a distinctive Japanese-inspired element to the front-of-house uniform

Key Considerations:

Garment functionality and alignment with the Kureta brand were central to the selection process. Front-of-house garments needed to look refined and appropriate for a premium restaurant, while the chef uniforms needed to support comfort and movement in a busy kitchen environment.

Target Audience:

The uniforms were developed for Kureta’s front-of-house staff and chefs. They were designed to create a strong impression for the restaurant’s high-end clientele while giving employees a professional uniform they could feel proud to wear.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Delivering the Uniforms Within a Short Lead Time

There was a short period between final uniform approval and the restaurant’s opening. Some key garments also needed to be sourced from North America, adding further time pressure to the project.

Solution: 

Henry & Gray coordinated the sourcing and delivery process closely and used an international express courier service for the overseas items. This helped ensure the garments arrived in time for Kureta’s December 2025 opening.

Results and Impact 

Impact on Brand Presentation

The completed uniforms reflected Kureta’s premium positioning and Japanese-inspired identity. The mandarin-collar shirts created a distinctive front-of-house look, while the consistent white and black palette brought the different roles together.

Adding the Kureta logo to the aprons and chef jackets reinforced the restaurant’s branding and completed the overall uniform presentation.

Client Feedback:

The final uniform look was considered well aligned with the Kureta brand and the restaurant’s high-end dining environment.

Lessons Learned and Future Implications

Key Insights:

This project reinforced the importance of allowing sufficient time to source signature uniform pieces. For Kureta, the white mandarin-collar shirt was a key element of the overall look and required careful sourcing to achieve the right result.

Influence on Future Projects:

For future restaurant openings and hospitality uniform projects, identifying key statement garments early will provide more time for sourcing, sampling, approval and delivery. This will help protect project timelines while ensuring the final uniforms remain aligned with the client’s brand and operational requirements.

At Henry & Gray, we create considered uniform solutions that combine brand presentation with the practical needs of each role.