Rethinking restaurant uniforms
For more than a decade, Field Grey has championed sustainable design and smart thinking in brand apparel, exploring how uniforms can evolve beyond aesthetics to shape culture and reduce waste. Our collaboration with the ubiquitous street food chain Wagamama was a case in point – and one of our most memorable consultancy projects. Combining creative strategy with circular thinking, we built a uniform solution that was as sustainable as it was distinctive.
Wagamama wanted our help refreshing its long-standing uniform programme. The challenge was to create a circular system for more than 170 restaurants across the UK – one that honoured the brand’s Japanese-inspired identity while connecting with a new generation who care deeply about the planet, inclusivity and community.
Designing with purpose
Our starting point wasn’t to design something new, but to repurpose what already existed. Together with Wagamama’s team, we explored creative ways to give old garments new life.
That thinking led to the Repurposing Workshop, a simple but powerful idea: staff could transform their retired T-shirts into upcycled items like tote bags or scrunchies. Working alongside London-based sustainability collective Greater Goods, we turned these workshops into inclusive, hands-on events that flipped the narrative on being kind to the planet from ’boring but important’ to fun and inspiring for employees and local communities.
This inclusive approach proved that circularity isn’t just a supply chain principle – it’s something people can experience and take pride in.
Partnering with Pangaia
Our search for a design collaborator led us to Pangaia, the material-science company redefining sustainable textiles with fabrics made from seaweed, banana leaves and recycled waste. Together, we reimagined the Wagamama uniform from the inside out.
Staff were encouraged to return their old T-shirts, which were repurposed into a new collection of hoodies – closing the loop between past and future. Made from organic cotton treated with plant-based peppermint oil to reduce odour and washing, the garments balanced function, comfort and sustainability.
We also helped create campaign content featuring employees styling their new uniforms – celebrating individuality and inclusivity across the brand.
A blueprint for a circular future
The result was more than a new uniform – it was a mindset shift. By engaging employees directly and collaborating with innovative partners, Wagamama turned sustainability from a goal into a practice.
Circularity became part of the brand story, woven into every stage from concept to community. For Field Grey, it reinforced a long-held belief: when design, people and purpose align, even a humble T-shirt can spark meaningful change.
Of our collaboration, Wagamama’s Director of Creative Content, Kelly Lithgow, said,
“The team at Field Grey acted as a wonderful extension of our team during our uniform collaboration project. Their creative firepower and industry knowledge was a great support on a project that felt
quite out of our remit initially.”
Our work with Wagamama and Pangaia showed that circular design isn’t just the future – it’s happening now.