SERVING IN STYLE: BRITISH AIRWAYS LAUNCHES ITS NEW UNIFORM FOR CABIN CREW, PILOTS AND AIRPORT TEAMS

Customers travelling with British Airways will see its cabin crew, pilots, and airport teams wearing the airline’s new uniform from today, as customer-facing colleagues across the globe begin wearing a new iconic clothing collection.

• British Airways’ cabin crew, pilots, and airport colleagues will begin wearing their new uniform from today*
• The airline’s uniform was designed by British-Ghanaian fashion designer Ozwald Boateng, alongside 1,500 colleagues who work in Britain and across the globe
• Much of British Airways’ former uniform, designed by Julien McDonald, will be repurposed as part of a sustainability initiative
• To celebrate the launch, British Airways has partnered with fellow iconic British brands, GHD and ELEMIS to set up ‘Treat Yourself bars’ across various airports, to help colleagues look and feel their best

The airline gave the first glimpse of its new uniform in January, with operational ground colleagues beginning to wear their new uniforms in May. The airline waited until today for its customer-facing colleagues to reveal their new look to customers.

 

The collection has been designed by British fashion designer and master tailor, Ozwald Boateng OBE, with the help of more than 1,500 colleagues who were involved in the end-to-end process, including design workshops and prototype feedback.

 

Combining style with functionality, 125 individual garments feature in Boateng’s collection; the largest choice of garments the airline has ever offered its people. The female wardrobe offers the option of a dress, skirt, trouser suit, or in an airline first, a stylish jumpsuit. A sleek three-piece tailored suit with the option of slim or regular-fit trousers is available as part of the male wardrobe.

A staggering 850,000 uniform items have been ordered by the airline’s more than 30,000 colleagues, with British Airways disclosing that the most popular garments ordered are the dress and trench coat. When it comes to blouses and shirts, the short-sleeved option has proved more popular than long-sleeved shirts.

 

Calum Laming, British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, said “We’re really excited to start the final phase of the rollout of our brand-new uniform for more than 30,000 colleagues. The stylish modern collection offers our colleagues more choices than ever to help them display more of their original personalities at work. Our people have always been at the forefront of our brand, so today, we’re celebrating them and the work they do to look after our customers.”

 

The airline’s uniform features bespoke fabrics and patterns that weave through throughout the entire collection. The suits, a fundamental element of the customer-facing uniform, are made with a jacquard fabric that features a subtle nod to the airline’s heritage with a pattern indicative of the airline’s iconic speed marque. Elsewhere, the scarves and ties feature an airwave design inspired by air moving over the wing of an aircraft, creating a signature feature of the uniform.

Sustainability has played an important role in the development of British Airways’ new uniform, as well as in plans to repurpose its current uniform as part of its BA Better World commitments. British Airways’ new uniform has been created with suppliers of the ‘Better Cotton Initiative’, the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton, with a mission to help cotton communities survive and thrive while helping to protect and restore the environment.

The airline’s uniform repurposing includes donating shirt fabrics to schools in Bangladesh and giving unworn garments to schools and homeless charities in Hounslow, near to the airline’s home at London Heathrow Terminal 5. The airline is also partnering with various companies to upcycle the Julien Macdonald garments into items like teddy bears, passport holders, and bags for customers to purchase. The airline is also exploring various ways to repurpose its other garments, with more details revealed later this year.

To help make the airline’s colleagues feel their best in their new uniforms, ‘Treat Yourself Bars’ have been set-up at airports. The airline has partnered with British brands, ELEMIS and GHD, to offer colleagues a range of refreshing products to pamper themselves and the option to style their hair with GHD products at these bars, ahead of their shifts. Make-up artists and hair stylists will also be on hand to help with express touch-ups, so colleagues can look and feel fabulous in their brand-new uniform. Experts will also be on hand to offer skincare advice for those who prefer the natural look.