British Airways Launches New Uniform: Including Jupmsuit And Hijab, Old Uniforms Donated And Recycled

The launch of the new British Airways uniform. (Source: British Airways)

JAKARTA - The British Airways airline has begun distributing its new jersey, designed by fashion designer Savile Row and tailor Ozwald Boateng to its employees.

This is the first time BA uniforms have experienced a major overhaul in the last 20 years. The collection includes three-piece suit for men and several options for women, including the introduction of modern jumpsuits, the first for the airline. There are also tunic and hijab options.

First time it was launched at the start of the year, the new uniform began to be distributed in the spring, as reported by The National News July 13.

Technicians and airline ground crews will be the first to wear new uniforms from Spring 2023. While all cabin crew, pilots and British Airways check-in agents will get a change date from their current uniforms to new uniforms in Summer 2023, quoted from the British Airways website.

Interestingly, when they receive a new uniform, their old uniform will be donated to charity or recycled to make toys, tablets and more, with a number of items to be awarded to the airline museum.

"Our uniform is an iconic representation of our brand, something that will bring us to the future, represent the best of modern Britain and help us provide extraordinary British native services for our customers," said British Airways Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle.

"From the start, this was about our employees. We want to create a collection of uniforms that our employees can wear and with the help of more than 1,500 colleagues, we believe that we have made it happen," he said.

This new collection features three-piece suits tailored to men in regular-style trousers and slim fit. There are also choices of dresses, skirts and trousers for women, as well as modern jumpsuits, which are the first to be on the airline. Not to forget, the choice of tunics and hijabs has also been created for this global airline.

Boateng is very careful in designing a collection that is truly original, by taking inspiration from airlines and people involved in flying art.

The pattern of air waves displayed throughout the uniform collection including jackets, t-shirts, buttons and ties is inspired by the movement of air on the plane's wing. Jacquard cloth throughout the tailored clothing displays the airline's iconic speedmarque variety.

This collection has been developed by Boateng since 2018 with full accuracy. He observed a number of roles at the airport to understand how uniforms should perform for every job, ensuring a modern British display full of style with high quality and resilient but easy to care for.

To ensure each outfit is in accordance with its objectives, the airline has tested the uniform over the past six months in a secret trial.

Cabin uniforms and flight crews have been tested on cargo flights across Europe. Meanwhile, technicians secretly wore the new uniform while treating the aircraft, so as not to be seen at Manchester and Cotswold Airports.

Many of the outdoor clothing have also been tested under heavy rain and snow at temperatures -18 degrees Celsius to ensure that the clothing is waterproof, durable and suitable for extreme weather conditions, as seen recently. "Decreating this uniform is a very broad and tiring job and more than just clothing. It's about creating an energetic change internally. One of my main goals is to create something that speaks to and to airline colleagues," explains Ozwald Boateng OBE. "Something that inspires and empowers them, encourages them to carry out their role with pride and most importantly, to ensure that they feel seen and heard. Even though these airlines have a strong legacy, it is essential to support in creating new narratives about change and transcendence, while maintaining timeliness," he said.