The Brief As part of the redevelopment process the RSC was not only planning to transform the buildings - but also the way the famous theatre wished to present itself to the world. It was looking for a uniform that reflected the RSC as a theatre company, and a very unique one at that. Liz Wainwright explains "The effect the appropriate uniform has on the standard and style of work delivered by those wearing it cannot be underestimated".

Why did the RSC choose Fashionizer? Liz Wainwright, Head of Theatre Operations at the RSC stated "When we first met with Fashionizer's MD, Debbie Leon, one of the things that appealed to us the most was her background in theatre and film design. We knew we were likely to be demanding clients to whoever our future partner was and that we would work best with someone who had an appreciation of the design processes in our world."

The Project The entire process demanded the involvement of both staff and management throughout - from the design development stages, to individual fittings and alterations. The staff at the RSC were considered extremely valuable to the design process, with their preferences and expectations for the new uniforms having a direct impact on the mood boards, indicating both aspirations and ideas of what was and was not acceptable.

New Staff Uniforms... Taking into account the various ages, shapes and sizes of the RSC staff, Fashionizer's brief was to provide over 175 uniforms for the following areas: box office, front of house, management, catering, tour guides and retail employees. Being a public body, budget planning was essential, and so budgets were approved and fixed in advance. The management of the uniform programme included fitting a size set to ensure the correct size allocations were made, and a made to measure service for specials. Additional streamlining of the number of garments needed to cover all staff in all areas were carried out to achieve economies of scale, and to ensure the programme came within the fixed budget.

Timing The RSC wholly understood the importance of time and planning for a fully bespoke uniform programme. This allowed for staff involvement from the onset, rich design development and fabric sourcing, accurate budget planning, wearer trials and staff feedback. In addition this process also enabled the RSC to ensure both staff and management were satisfied with the end result, as well as providing a flexible collection of garments to best suit each member of staff.

Design Initially Fashionizer came up with four concepts based on historical shapes from the various periods of the theatre buildings: Elizabethan, Victorian, Art Deco and current day. These were to be combined with modern garment shapes to create the final look. The Victorian concept was agreed as the favourite inspiration and a look based on this concept was chosen. Pin tucks on the shirts and blouses, and a fine stripe cotton fabric evoke the Victorian feel, along with a neutral, dark grey poly-wool as the base for all suiting, bringing the design firmly up to date. Finishing touches include an unusual coloured panel in azure blue, fitting in neatly with the new theatre building environment.

Practical Challenges As with most projects there were some issues unique to the RSC's environment to overcome. These included some special technical issues that needed resolving, such as the problem of the radios which needed to be clipped onto the back waistbands of garments, often ruining a garments life and look. In addition to this a customised bag for ushers to carry programmes, tickets and torches in needed to be designed. These two issues were resolved by adding leather protection in certain areas for radios, and by trialling two different bag options in situ to ensure the size and balance was right. To ensure everything worked in practice, samples were produced for all items and a uniform parade organised for feedback. Wearer trial garments were produced for males and females in each department in order for them to put them through their paces. The feedback was collated by RSC management and discussed with Fashionizer before production. Amendments included some changes to proportions, finishes and styles.

Sizing and Fitting services The RSC was keen to ensure that every member of staff had a well fitting uniform that they were happy and proud to wear. With this in mind, Fashionizer developed size sets for the uniforms and assisted in several measuring days to ensure all staff were allocated with the correct standard size. Measurements were taken for any staff that required non standard sizes, enabling Fashionizer to successfully deliver individual size packs for each member of staff in each department.

"It has been a pleasure working with the staff and managers at the RSC - the ability to focus on developing the design without any preconceptions and working through a number of concepts has been both challenging and exciting for us. We are delighted to have played a small part in this awesome project." says Debbie Leon, Fashionizer MD.