Design Collective apparel programs take seven prizes on the night, including the year’s biggest award: Best of the Best

Design Collective® by Cintas took home seven Image of the Year Awards – including the year’s top prize – at the recent awards ceremony held in conjunction with the North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) annual convention in San Diego. The Design Collective fashion house is a business unit of Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS).

Design Collective’s exclusive apparel program for Resorts World Las Vegas took the night’s top prize – Best of the Best – and also won for the best program in the Gaming category.

Other Design Collective apparel programs that were recognized at the awards ceremony included:

• Retail & Professional category: ADT Commercial
• Entertainment Venue category: FC Cincinnati for TQL Stadium
• Restaurant, Single Location category: Fairmont Royal York Library Bar
• Hotels, Multiple Locations category: Margaritaville Hotels and Resorts
• Transportation People category: Virgin Voyages

>> Media Use Images of Each Winning Uniform Program: Access Here (Dropbox)

NAUMD’s Image of the Year Awards^® recognize the best workplace apparel programs across several industries. Design Collective and its clients have won Image of the Year Awards for more than 20 consecutive years.

“Working closely with our clients to develop retail-inspired yet functional apparel programs that help their staffs stand out, feel good and perform their jobs easily is the core of our work. It’s an honor to be recognized for the hard work, creativity and technology that goes into concepting and designing these winning programs – especially for so many clients this year,” said Todd McKeown, President and COO of Design Collective by Cintas. “It’s even more gratifying to have so many of our clients recognized after the challenges they faced the last 19 months during the pandemic. We’re humbled by their faith and confidence in us as we partner in their efforts to return to a more normal business environment.”

Each of the award-winning collections from 2020-21 is highlighted below. For more information about Design Collective by Cintas, please visit: www.cintas.com/designcollective.

ADT Commercial | Courtesy imagery available here

With a goal of creating a unique identity for ADT Commercial Technicians that remained consistent to the ADT Commercial brand – yet distinct from its Residential Program apparel collection – Design Collective collaborated with ADT Commercial to develop a new program for 2,000 wearers who support the company’s Fortune 1000 customers and other public-facing customers.

The resulting program included Performance Knit Polo Shirts, t-shirts, Ultimate Cargo Pants and Baseball Cap, layering pieces and outerwear all constructed from the same fabrication as the Residential Program (also developed by Design Collective) but introduced its own colorway to make it unique. The consistent design theme allowed ADT Commercial to maintain visual brand continuity while distinguishing between two different business areas.

With the knowledge of how ADT Commercial employees need their apparel to perform many fabric technologies were incorporated into the program including snag-resistant micropique knit, moisture-wicking technology and anti-microbial features. The Ultimate Cargo Pant offers several high-performing pockets, as well as quick-dry, mechanical-stretch, moisture-wicking technologies.

"What's unique about our multiple uniform styles is that it gives our technicians that element of individuality,” said Beth Tarnoff, ADT Commercial Vice President, Marketing & Communications. “Having a choice of how they want to show their pride as ADT Commercial employees and the amazing work they do for our customers every day is so important. That was one of the main goals of our program and Design Collective by Cintas made it happen.”

FC Cincinnati for TQL Stadium | Courtesy imagery available here

With a brand-new stadium opening and the sporting world’s eyes on it, FC Cincinnati sought to create a stand-out apparel program for its brand-new facility. The program included apparel that required the wearer to move seamlessly from indoors to out, and in a range of work environments from high-end luxury suites to general admission bleachers. Various ensembles were needed, including food and beverage staff, customer services, operations hosts and security – all of which were inspired by the athletic and community intentions of the stadium spaces and the rich luxury of the premium spaces and suites.

The resulting collection lends a nod to the team’s branding with pops of its iconic blue and orange, while also incorporating the look and feel of each of the stadium’s respective spaces in a consistent look and feel. Further, the designs needed to accommodate year-round comfort – for both indoor food and beverage areas, as well as outdoor stadium job functions including hawking, ticket takers and security – and still remain informed by the more premium-tiered looks in the collection.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized by NAUMD and to have won this award,” said Dan Lolli, FC Cincinnati Vice President of Facilities and TQL Stadium General Manager “FC Cincinnati is proud to work with Cintas and our uniform production is a huge part of that. We are grateful for their support and admire their work each time fans enter TQL Stadium.”

Fairmont Royal York Library Bar | Courtesy imagery available here

A timeless meeting place that remains the undercurrent of Toronto's metropolitan character, Library Bar returns as the famed cocktail den cloaked beyond a secret corner of the illustrious Fairmont Royal York hotel.

Throughout the bar's evolution as the city's coveted martini institution, Library Bar personifies the fabled legacy as the electric space where such walls can divulge tales from the night we met to the fervent thrill in closing the deal.

The Library Bar’s apparel program built on the venue’s upscale English pub motif that was ideated from historical research, first-hand accounts from pub visits and an understanding of the climate and environment typical of England. The contemporary collection relays a unique point of view and sparks conversations, while playing into the iconic traditions of local English drinking establishments.

Ensuring an exquisite fit was a prerequisite for this program, and the poly/wool fabrics in the collection were intentionally chosen to help staff achieve ideal tailoring. The fabric also met the client’s need for durability and longevity while providing breathability and comfort to the wearer. Blazers with peak lapels, double-breasted vests with split lapels, fitted dresses, and slim-cut pants highlight the modern, elegant silhouettes – giving a nod to both the past and the present. Design Collective sourced a client-specific plaid suiting for the pants, and included both contrast-trim elements and gold-crested button, which combine to stand out.

Margaritaville Hotels and Resorts | Courtesy imagery available here

Design Collective’s work with Margaritaville Hotels and Resorts focused on creating a fun, colorful collection that was both inviting and fashionable, reflective of the brand itself. It’s a casual, chic assortment that’s easy to wear, and composed of mini collections of key pieces in each job area, allowing the various hotels and resorts to make choices appropriate to their specific destinations, and the wearers to mix and match more than one look specific to their job functions. The collection helps promote Margaritaville’s brand experience and also complements the bright and sunny hotel and resort locations.

Several Margaritaville Hotels and Resorts are located in warm-weather climates, so the fabrics had to be fashionable, comfortable and functionable. The collection integrates moisture-wicking management technologies, mechanical stretch and UV protection, all while remaining home launderable for the wearers’ convenience. Pieces designed for the company’s culinary functions included items from Chef Works – Design Collective’s trusted retail partner.

A key goal of the collection was making it as efficient as possible, so many core items were cross-utilized throughout both back-of-house and front-of-house designs, including the Tech Pant and Slacks, which helped Margaritaville establish some efficiencies in their program.

“Our collective goal was to create a look that combines the casual-luxe feel of Margaritaville's destinations and our fun lifestyle. Design Collective by Cintas nailed it,” said Adam Bocken, Margaritaville Director of Human Resources and Training “The uniforms blend incredibly well with our décor and add to the escapism experience we create for guests and team members. The internal feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with team members looking forward to getting dressed and coming to work!”

Resorts World Las Vegas | Courtesy imagery available here

Resorts World Las Vegas is the first integrated resort to be built on the Las Vegas Strip in more than a decade, with the apparel program accommodating more than 3,200 wearers when the resort opened in late June 2021.

Design Collective sought to develop a timeless, iconic and sustainable program for the new property, also integrating Resort World Las Vegas’s brand-specific red throughout. Many of the program’s shirting elements include Mandarin collars on shirts, polos and jackets across the resort.

The casino floor collection features cool tones to reflect the space’s interior design. The cocktail dresses were designed to make a statement, with some including more than 700 Australian crystals and others are hand-beaded with double-reinforced sequins and glass seed beads. Valet and outdoor apparel were constructed from fabrics that remain cool to the touch and facilitate moisture wicking to keep staff cool and comfortable in the hot climate. The dealer apparel program is sustainable and constructed from recycled polyester.

Prior to designing the program, Design Collective worked with Resorts World Las Vegas to test materials to ensure they met the wearers’ needs. This meant that most – if not all – of the program’s apparel components include fabrics with stretch to help keep the wearers comfortable during their shifts.

Virgin Voyages | Courtesy imagery available here

The apparel program for Virgin Voyages included all areas of the vessel, including front and back of house, officers, hotel leadership and the culinary program. Each area’s collection was thoughtfully designed to represent the environment in which the wearer worked, and the job functions expected from each of the 1,200 crew members on each ship.

Virgin Voyages collection embodies the company’s culture and brand essence, with an iconic color palette and brand elements throughout the designs. It embodies the romance of sailing, incorporating nautical elements with fun, modern details – including the Virgin “V”. Integrating Virgin Voyages’ partnership with PLAE shoes was also important, and pulled all the looks together cohesively while factoring in the crew’s comfort and safety.

“Design Collective by Cintas worked in partnership with British Couture Designer Gareth Pugh and the Virgin Voyages design team to turn high fashion designer garments usually seen on the catwalks of London and New York into corporate wear clothing at its best,” said Sally Barford, Virgin Voyages Senior Director PMO & Design Projects. “This collaboration created some fantastic garments which are receiving high praise from our sailors and Crew who love the way they look and feel. The team worked hard to ensure the collection works as hard as our crew. The results are amazing and we couldn’t have achieved this without the apparel industry expertise from Design Collective.”

About Design Collective^® by Cintas

The Design Collective by Cintas is a distinctive fashion house dedicated to creating a modern wardrobe for employees. With design studios in Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto and Miami, Design Collective’s award-winning designers blend garments from our ready-to-wear line with custom-designed pieces to curate apparel collections that enhance brand identity. These collections are often complemented with garments from our retail brand collaborations, giving employees wardrobes they love to wear. Design Collective is a division of Cintas Corporation, a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.

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