For the first time in 20 years, the British airline is dressing its employees in new clothes. British Airways secretly tested the uniforms for months to make sure they were really usable.
Six years ago, American Airlines introduced new clothing for its employees. But the Employees soon complained about problems. Rashes, headaches and nausea were triggered by the new uniform – sometimes with such bad consequences that the cabin crew had to call in sick. And so the airline had to design new work clothes again.
British Airways wanted to prevent something like that. For six months, the airline tested the designs of British fashion designer Ozwald Boateng – in secret. Cabin and cockpit crew uniforms were checked on cargo flights across Europe, engineers at Manchester and Cotswold airports. The feedback from around 1,500 test subjects led to improvements.
“New History of Change”
And there was indeed room for improvement, although designer Boateng had previously worked in various positions at British Airways to identify the needs. For example, the technical employees wanted easily accessible tool bags for working on aircraft. And the men and women in ground handling suggested gloves that can be used to operate tablets even in cold months.
Only after the feedback round was British Airways ready to finally introduce the new uniforms. From spring 2023 they will be worn by the more than 30,000 employees. It is the first new workwear at the airline in 20 years.
Not gender neutral
Unlike many in the new work clothes presented in recent months are they not gender neutral. Nevertheless, designer Boateng wanted to create something completely new. “Although the airline has a long tradition, it was imperative to create a new story of change and transcendence without losing its relevance,” he comments.
The design of the new uniforms for British Airways was “an extensive and laborious undertaking”. “It was about bringing about an internal energetic change,” says Boateng. One of the main goals was “to create something that speaks to and for the airline’s colleagues. Something that inspires and empowers them, encourages them to carry out their duties with pride and most importantly, making sure they feel seen and heard.”
Check out the new British Airways uniforms in the image gallery above. PS: If you click on the picture, the gallery will open in large format.