British Airways Unveils New Uniforms

For the first time in over 20 years, British Airways has unveiled a completely new uniform collection, and the Heathrow-based airline has made history by showing the first-ever cabin crew jumpsuit as part of the designs.

The uniform, designed by British and Ghanaian global innovation Ozwald Boateng, includes a tailored three-piece suit in regular and thin-cut variants for males, as well as skirt, trouser, and dress options for female flight attendants.

The long-awaited new uniform was initially scheduled to be introduced to the world in 2019 until a devastating and costly pilot strike damaged BA’s public brand and caused the airline to tighten its belt.

British Airways and legendary Savile Row designer Ozwald Boateng wanted to unveil the new style in threads in early 2020, but those plans were immediately scrapped when the Covid-19 virus ravaged the aviation business.

However, work has continued in the background for the previous three years, with British Airways claiming that roughly 1,500 personnel helped Boateng fine-tune the ideas across 50 workshops.

As a consequence, a custom ‘airwave’ pattern appears on the whole uniform range, including coats, t-shirts, buttons, and ties. According to British Airways, the design was inspired by the passage of air across an aircraft wing.

BA has been conducting stealthy wearer testing on undercover cargo flights around Europe for the past six months. Engineers have also been discreetly testing the uniform at Manchester and Cotswold Airports.

“Designing this uniform was a massive and arduous project that extended well beyond garments,” Boateng said. “It was about making an energy change within”. “One of my primary goals was to produce something that spoke to and for the airline’s employees,” he stated.

“Despite the airline’s great tradition, it was critical to helping build a new narrative of transformation and transcendence while being current,” Boateng continued.

Engineering and ground options crews will begin wearing the new uniform in the coming months, while cabin crew, pilots, and airport agents will have a single switchover date in the Summer of 2023.

Employees will be instructed to turn in their old uniforms so that they may be donated to charity or converted into toys and tablet holders.