The Womenswear Designer Giving Hospo Workwear a Fashion Glow-Up

Sydney fashion designer Johnny Schembri knows how to dress women. He’s spent the last 16 years creating special occasion garments for people’s big events. His label, By Johnny, is known for its bright and bold designs that don’t shy away from the spotlight. On first inspection, his foray into hospitality workwear isn’t the most obvious of pivots.

As his origin story goes, Schembri began his fashion career by selling his pieces at Paddington Market while he was working at a PR agency. What the tale often overlooks is that, thanks to his connections in media, he created uniforms for Keystone’s Cargo Bar, Bungalow 8 and The Winery before he tried his hand at womenswear. “That gave me some cash [and] I was like, ‘I actually want to start my brand now’,” he tells Broadsheet. “It’s sort of a full-circle moment.”

Over the last two years, he's gone back to give hospitality workwear another whirl through his new venture, The Service Club. He creates service industry uniforms with a “fashion design approach”. The Service Club offers a range of off-the-rack styles, as well as custom-designed uniforms. Schembri is responsible for the uniforms of restaurants like Lucas Restaurants’ Maison Batard, Grill Americano, Tombo Den and Society, as well as St Albans’s Hellenika and Bobby’s in Cronulla.

Schembri knows the power of fashion and how it can elevate a dining experience. “Before someone even orders a drink, [uniforms] quietly set the tone for the venue,” he says.

Chris Lucas, CEO of Lucas Restaurants, agrees. “Great dining is theatre. A custom uniform signals intent the moment a guest walks in. It unifies the floor, raises confidence and sets a standard for how we host,” he tells Broadsheet. “Uniforms are moving signage … For Batard specifically, custom design allows us to match the room’s elegance without tipping into costume.”

There are several similarities between designing for hospitality and event wear. “Longevity and sourcing [are] very important from the beginning,” says Schembri. Recognising people’s laundering habits – “whether it’s a female customer buying from the website or a staff member throwing it in a washing machine” – is an important part in ensuring a garment’s durability.

“We need to make sure that there’s wearability and [uniforms are] built to last. [They’re] not fully lined, so it’s not hot and can survive repeat laundering,” Schembri says. When commissioning The Service Club with Maison Batard’s uniforms, Lucas focused on three non-negotiables: “freedom of movement for long shifts, fabrics that breathe and launder well, and a silhouette that flatters a wide range of bodies.”

In practice, Schembri created cohesive yet distinct uniforms for Maison Batard’s sommeliers, and bar and floor staff. He’s particularly fond of the working tux. “We did this unlined, really beautiful dinner jacket that is, from the outside, quite polished. However, inside it’s quite light and pared back. It’s wearable and quite loose and boxy. The function is there, and the fabric is durable.” Lucas points to functional details like concealed fastenings, practical pockets, pen loops and waistlines that sit cleanly under aprons – elements that patrons might not notice but workers will.

Not all the uniforms The Service Club designed are that fancy, though. Hellenika staff wear knitwear cardigans and polos, reflective of its beachside, Brissie surrounds. Bobby’s workers wear denim aprons, branded neck ties and white T-shirts. Above all, service uniforms need a “function first” approach.

Workwear is an extension of a venue’s DNA. Fashion and food have become inextricably linked, and Schembri embraces this. “Both are tapped into how people want to feel. I think both are about experience and identity and storytelling. Restaurants are not just places people want to eat anymore, they’re curated locations where design and mood and personal style all meet, and uniforms play a huge role in that.”

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