Mads Refslund’s restaurant Ilis New York is a destination for Noma devotees, but its design sensibility is something that diners can also indulge in.
Foodies know the Dane as one of the founding chefs of Noma in Copenhagen, but he has been crafting his first New York City restaurant for a while. That process — more specifically employees’ uniforms — has involved the designer Camilla Staerk and Lady and Butler’s cofounder Eli Caner.
Connected through mutual Danish friends, Staerk first got to know Refslund when he moved to Manhattan more than eight years ago. Staerk said that after the years-long exchange about details, to see the Brooklyn space realized has been emotionally charged for her and “so many people, who have been involved for the whole ride. It’s been such an ode to friendship, collaboration and community.”
Staerk started brainstorming with Refslund about designing the restaurant’s interiors 14 months ago and that led to creating the staff’s uniforms too. The opportunity prompted one phone call “straight away” — to Lady and Butler’s cofounder Caner. By the start of this year, Staerk and Caner were on the case developing uniforms.
Staerk and Caner share a personal interest. About 16 years after Staerk had relocated to New York from Denmark and started her business, she hired and mentored Caner for four years.
After being introduced by mutual friends and having a phone interview, Staerk suggested a trial run that began the next day. After accepting without any hesitation, Caner turned up the following morning. In the late afternoon, the two designers agreed that a strong coffee was in order and Caner mentioned that her jet lag had kicked in. Staerk laughed, “I had said, ‘What do you mean?’ I had not realized that she was based in San Francisco and she had jumped on the red-eye [flight] and had come straight from the airport to my studio. And that was it — she never went back. We just worked really hard and very closely together for years. It was wonderful,” Staerk said.
The duo described their most recent endeavor as “really lovely” and “a full circle opportunity.” While it is the first collaboration between Staerk and Lady anid Butler, others are expected to follow.
At Ilis, about 50 employees including chefs, managers, maître d’s and other front-of-house employees, as well as sommeliers and bartenders, sport their designs. To date, 300-plus uniforms have been created and more will follow. Their attire is a key factor in setting the tone of the dining experience, due to the fact that watching the chefs at work in an expansive open kitchen is the focal point of the restaurant and they double as serving chefs.
“It’s almost like you are watching a beautiful quiet theater piece going on. And then chefs, who had prepared food earlier before the service started, come out and serve the food,” Staerk said.
Refslund’s inspirations include food, of course, as well as North America and Scandinavia but Japanese traditional workwear was a basis of information for the uniforms. His own personal style — a combination of Scandinavian and Japanese — and also Scandinavian elegant functionality came into play. Ilis employees also offered insights, such as chefs needing an additional pocket on the back of their cotton canvas aprons and a unique knot fastening on the side. Another version has a mini tie belt made of Japanese leather. Chefs also requested reversible aprons so that they can wear the clean side once diners start to observe them at work in the kitchen.
Other subtle touches can be found on the managers’ or sommeliers’ jackets that have an invisible loop to hold a flower or a pen. Mini aprons are being developed that can also been worn as belts and will have a place to store a wine key. The uniforms’ color palette is primarily black but there are forest green aprons.
In addition, Staerk designed three lighting fixtures that illuminate the restaurant — all of which can be purchased on her company’s site. The rugs in the bar and lounge area are from her signature home collection. “It’s been a dream project because Mads wanted me to go deep to really explore what was core Staerk for Ilis,” she said.
Many artists have had a hand in Ilis, as evidenced by the wooden, sculptural cutlery and hand-embroidered napkins. Natural materials and longevity are priorities in the thoughtful design.
Founded in 2015, Lady and Butler specializes in modernistic uniforms versus institutional-looking ones. The Ritz Carlton, Equinox Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and the Mark Hotel are among the companies that have enlisted Lady and Butler. The upcoming opening of the Four Seasons Philadelphia will be the culmination of a three-year project and a new Four Seasons Boston will follow next spring. Lady and Butler is also designing uniforms for Four Seasons’ private jet service. The San Francisco company has suited up staffers at other dining outposts, too, including Via Carota, Veronika at Fotografiska New York and Aramak at Citi Field. As for future ventures, Caner noted Staerk’s experience in interiors and how many of her clients are pulling her into the area of uniforms.
With eight full-time employees, the uniform specialist has relied largely on overseas production, but it plans to soon start manufacturing in New York. “So we can deliver [the uniforms] really fast, the quality is really great and we are on top of the product,” Caner said.
Staerk said that talks are underway with a couple of hotel clients, and she hopes that it will be just a matter of time before the two companies start some new projects. Pleased as she is with Ilis’ end result, she added, “I’m really glad we get to tell this story of this collaboration and our friendship. For us, it’s been very meaningful to do this for this reason too — as well as for all of the other reasons.”
