You may not be dressed in Balmain, Lacroix or Vivienne Westwood for your flight, but inspect your flight’s cabin crew a bit more and you might recognise great designer creations right in front of you.
Airlines have been collaborating with designers for generations. It all began with the glamorous heyday of flying in the 60’s. Emilio Pucci designed Braniff International’s futuristic hostess uniforms, while Pierre Balmain created the iconic Singapore Airlines sarong kebaya in the 70’s.
Today, airlines turn to celebrated designers to create stylish, aspirational and instantly recognisable uniforms. And just as each airline has its own character and often reflects the country’s culture, cabin crew outfits are also feats of engineering. Who else can manage to look so fresh after 12 hours on a plane?!
When paired up next to one another, most airline ensembles tend to blend into a mass of navy blues and reds, however the best designers know how to differentiate themselves even with a limited palette. For example, Air New Zealand’s uniform feature striking pink prints, while Qantas’s uniforms are ultra-stylish and contemporary with bold colour coding.
It’s not just the five-star airlines that do it either; budget airlines such as Jetstar have an instantly recognisable look with their monochrome black and orange uniforms, made out of high tech fabrics. A strong black and orange contrast creates a functional and professional ensemble.
Find out more about New Zealand’s top airline styles and the interesting stories behind their cabin crew collections.
We hope you enjoyed our lookbook of New Zealand’s airline fashion. If you want to see more, click below to explore other versions from around the world!
