Designing uniforms for the House of MG, a boutique hotel in the old city of Ahmedabad, involved a systems approach. The brief was to stay true to the very ‘old world Indian home’ identity of this heritage property. A plain white kurta was chosen for the entire staff, as white recalled the simple elegance and practical efficiency of a well-run Gujarati household. Subtle differences like sleeve lengths, accessories like the Gandhi topi (cap) and a Nehru jacket for the senior staff helped unobtrusively establish hierarchy.

Overall, six categories of uniforms were designed, each for a different department in the hotel from housekeeping to restaurant staff to security. Practical considerations like maintenance, sizing and wear and tear were resolved systematically through trials and successive reiterations in design.