Starbucks’s small dress code update is part of its bigger branding play

Starbucks baristas will soon have a new dress code that’s meant to center the coffee chain’s signature brand color. Beginning May 12, employees will be required to wear solid black tops along with bottoms that are khaki, black, or blue denim under the coffee chain’s longtime signature-green apron.

Starbucks Green is a rich, earthy green that appears in Starbucks partner aprons going back to 1987, and it’s also the color of its well-known Siren logo. The company calls the color its “most identifiable asset,” and by putting the color at the center of its new dress code, the coffee chain is extending its brand guidelines around Starbucks Green to employee dress as the company undergoes a broader overhaul.

Starbucks says the change will improve consistency across stores. Starbucks Green is used by the coffee chain in signage and other physical and digital assets alongside a palette of complementary secondary accent greens and tertiary colors that rotate seasonally, according to its online brand guide, which it published in 2019. It’s a color palette that’s distinctly Starbucks, with green at the center and other earthy and occasional floral accent colors. When it comes to the aprons, though, Starbucks now wants its green set against just black.

Starbucks baristas’ tops can be short- or long-sleeved crewnecks and collared or button-up shirts, but they must be solid black. Starbucks said it was also launching a line of company-branded T-shirts. Its employees can receive two of the branded shirts at no cost, according to the company. The move prioritizes a unified consumer experience across touch points as the brand seeks a back-to-basics approach to grow back its sales. It has also introduced changes such as bringing back handwritten notes on coffee cups, ceramic mugs for beverages ordered to stay, and a scaled-back menu.

“By updating our dress code, we can deliver a more consistent coffeehouse experience that will also bring simpler and clearer guidance to our partners, which means they can focus on what matters most, crafting great beverages and fostering connections with customers,” Starbucks said in a press release.

Research has found standardized employee dress can reinforce a company culture of teamwork and unity. In addition to presenting the brand’s signature color in a consistent way, the updated Starbucks dress code could have an impact on organizational and employee management. (The policy update has received some criticism on Reddit and TikTok, however.)

Starbucks’s dress code has changed over time. In 2014, it relaxed requirements for employees to tuck in their black-and-white uniforms and cover up tattoos to allow for untucked shirts, visible tattoos, shorts, skirts, and black jeans. The new dress code is designed to “allow our iconic green apron to shine,” Starbucks said in a press release, as well as give employees clearer guidance about dress standards and make the customer experience more similar from store to store.

The new dress code is more restrictive but par for the course for many branded service industry jobs. For example, Walmart associates wear blue and Target team members wear red. Starbucks partners wearing green on black is meant to reinforce the company’s most recognizable creative asset, its brand color, and reintroduce Starbucks to customers in a consistent way no matter where they visit.

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