There is a hospitality uniform and apparel company in West Greenwich that you’ve probably never heard of.
That’s because KAPTVA Apparel LLC has been providing unique and sleek uniforms for big-name clients across the hospitality and casino industry since 2019, from the Venetian and Golden Nugget on the Las Vegas strip to Manhattan fine dining.
But that lower profile locally is likely to change, now that founder and President Elizabeth Hulting says the company’s next move is to expand throughout New England.
“We are about creating statement pieces that bring a new and fresh spin to the industry,” said Hulting’s daughter, Alysha, who serves as designer and artistic director. “Evey uniform is specially designed, which I think sets us apart.”
The Hultings relocated to the Ocean State from Nevada after Elizabeth Hulting’s husband took a new post in the corporate office of Bally’s Corp.
KAPTVA’s business model is centered on allowing casinos, restaurants, hotels and bars to fit out their staff with eye-catching yet professional attire, and working with them to create customized outfits above and beyond the traditional drab uniforms the industry can be known for.
“It’s about building from scratch,” said Elizabeth Hulting. “And offering their teams a sense of empowerment and pride.”
Elizabeth Hulting worked for years in the garment industry for national clients before launching her own venture. And she witnessed the uniform industry slowly crawl out of its rudimentary aesthetic, due in part to the proliferation of smaller boutique restaurants and casinos across the country.
“There has been this huge shift in how uniforms look,” she said. “Now it’s a lot more relaxed.”
Now partnering with seven factories located in New York and California, KAPTVA has mostly garnered accounts through word of mouth, or by attending large trade shows in Las Vegas.
“But we would love to pick up more accounts on the East Coast,” Elizabeth Hulting said.
The company supplies unforms for Bally’s Corp.’s Rhode Island casinos, Bally’s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort and Bally’s Tiverton Casino & Hotel. And KAPTVA has established a handful of accounts featuring fine dining restaurants.
“Since most of our jobs are custom, we do a bit more higher end,” Elizabeth Hulting said. “It can be a bit more expensive.”
The Southern California native and graduate of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising understands that hospitality owners are increasingly more willing to invest in the kind of uniform one wouldn’t mind wearing on a night out.
Custom uniform samples alone cost $200.
“Our styles are created with changeability in mind,” Elizabeth Hulting said. “We want every uniform to be unique and custom to your property.”
The industry has slowly moved away from its reputation as a male-dominated hornets’ nest unwelcoming to women in positions of power and continues to improve.
“When I first started, it was definitely like that,” Elizabeth Hulting said. “I worked in the garment industry since I was 18, so of course I saw some crazy stuff. You’d never know what you are walking into.”
Now headquartered in Rhode Island, Alysha Hulting hopes KAPTVA can help bring a new look to an industry that has become a vital economic engine.
“Rhode Island is such a beautiful and unique state,” she said. “And we believe that should also be reflected in local hospitality designs.”
OWNER: Elizabeth Hulting
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Hospitality uniforms and apparel
LOCATION: 64 Knight View Drive, West Greenwich
EMPLOYEES: Four
YEAR FOUNDED: 2019
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
