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Cabin crew uniforms: Flying the sartorial skies
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QANTAS cabin crew uniforms showcase a design that is distinctly Australian. (Photo: QANTAS)
Airline uniforms, especially those worn by cabin crew have always captured our attention and imagination. From the distinct bird of paradise design worn by the Hawaiian Airlines cabin crew on my earliest flights as a child to the exciting couture introduced by air carriers worldwide in recent years, cabin crew uniforms are a compelling topic for travel writers, and a large part of any airlines budget, and a design coup for many in the fashion industry.
Producing a new uniform is a large undertaking for an airline, one that can be daunting to designers. Large international airlines to their regional affiliates have several items to consider, each presenting unique challenges:
Image
The uniform for cabin crew, flight crew, and ground crew alike are the most universal image an airline is to put forward. They are seen by all passengers, and by the public as well. During my days with Singapore Airlines in Las Vegas, the Singapore Girls in the decades-enduring, Balmain-designed sarong kebaya never failed to turn heads walking through the concourse on the way to the aircraft. Singapore Airlines marketing images rely heavily on the iconic image of the Singapore Girl, the colorful, feminine uniform designs arguably the most noticeable feature.
An airline with international clientele may also wish to reflect the design heritage of the home country in their staff attire. An excellent example of an airline reflecting national identity in their uniform design is QANTAS, with designs by Australian designer Peter Morrissey. The uniform features the distinctly Australian “Wirriyarra” design which reflects aboriginal art themes and the rich natural color palate of Australia. The design originates from the Balarinji Design Studio which has also been employed designing aboriginal themed aircraft designs for the airline.
Another airline that hedges uniform bets on the strengths of national industry is Air France. While France has a long and storied tradition of haute couture, it is only fitting that one of the nation’s leading designers, Christian LaCroix was selected to design the first new Air France uniform in nearly two decades. The uniforms were so well received Air France even once mentioned the couture designs as a benefit for customer contact positions in recruiting efforts in the United States.
Authority
While uniforms may exude style, femininity, and national identity, they also fulfill an important function in the modern turmoil of these public conveniences of the sky: communication of authority. During my research on uniforms, I spoke with Beverly Dennis, a friend and professor at Alaska Pacific University, an authority on uniforms and corporate identity. She points out while uniforms must fulfill their sartorial purpose, cabin crew especially must be able to command authority in the event of emergencies. Not only must the crew be identifiable, but their uniforms must display professionalism to the point where passengers understand their profession is a serious one, comprising equal parts safety and service. Many airlines have for years employed a pseudo military look, in many cases complete with uniform stripes echoing those of the flight crew. Unions have even gone so far as to write the stripes into collective bargaining agreements, their purpose being to project the authority and position of the flight attendant profession.
I also spoke with an airline industry blogger and current flight attendant for a major international airline about her uniform, and among the many interesting bits she related about her uniform and industry designs in general was a lamentation over the idea that airlines sacrifice function and authority over style: “I have to disagree with people who say that flight attendants dressing smartly (and God forbid even slightly sexily) demeans them; [dressing smartly] makes us feel good to be at work, and as long as the clothes are tasteful and professional, they can really change the image of the airline and make passengers feel more at ease with us.”
Function
Another flight attendant for a major US airline decries her uniform as “unfashionable, uncomfortable, and inflammable.” While there are several US airlines that outfit their flight attendants very well, I do have to lament the proliferation of sweater vests that seems to have caught on in the mid ‘90s and hasn’t quite seen its end, as yet. While the Singapore Girls and other flight attendants in countries where employment law is somewhat more lax may find themselves grounded should they exceed weight requirements, most western carriers must find uniforms that work well on employees of all shapes, sizes and skin tone. Blue proliferates as a dominant color among the airline uniforms of the world, as most people in the world have blue-based skin tone. Navy works particularly well with a broad range of skin and hair shades, is slimming, and slow to show soil. Indeed, lighter shades of blue introduced by Delta in the uniform incarnation previous to the current design were disliked by employees as easily stainable and unflattering.
Any uniform design must also be able to withstand the rigors of their intended use. Items that can be easily washed in a hotel room sink and drip dried are particularly useful, and a uniform must be able to maintain a fresh appearance even into the 14th hour of an ultra long haul flight. Uniforms are often also packed into carryon bags, so they must be less prone to wrinkle and require a minimum of care. A degree of comfort must also be designed into the uniform as cabin crew must stand, stoop, kneel, reach overhead, and comfortably exert a full range of movement while in uniform.
Finally, many airlines operate in climates from one extreme to the other, across time zones, hemispheres, and even seasons. A flight from Auckland to London in December departs the blazing heat of the Southern Summer and deposits flight crews into the grips of the Northern Winter, or an Alaska Airlines flight attendant may find themselves in Prudhoe Bay or Palm Springs.
From the first designs by Ellen Church of Boeing Air Transport (later United) at the birth of the flight attendant profession to the latest Christian LaCroix couture designs, airline uniforms have always provided a modicum of style to the skies.
For more info: Uniform Freak is an excellent website showcasing the cabin crew uniforms of the world's airlines, from the mainstream to the obscure, past and present.
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