Subscribe
The Daily Grind Video
CLOSE

Flying around the globe is about to be a whole lot chicer. But not for you, for the people who work on the actual plane.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Richard Branson has teamed up with fellow Brit Vivienne Westwood to develop a fashionable new take on the uniform worn by the flight attendants aboard each aircraft. 

Over 7,500 members of staff, including cabin crew, pilots, Clubhouse staff and Virgin Holidays employees, will wear the new eco-friendly uniforms July 2013, before the official launch in 2014. The uniforms are made using recycled materials – including polyester yarn that originated from plastic bottles and canvas created from reused roadside banners and leather off-cuts.

When describing the collection, Vivienne says:

“My clothes have always got a very strong dynamic rapport with the body – they are very body-conscious, they help you to look glamorous, more hourglass, more woman. I design things to help people to hopefully express their personality. I am always trying to find fabrics that are more friendly to the environment – working with Virgin Atlantic they managed to research into this and find more eco fabrics.”

Richard Branson went on to say:

“Virgin Atlantic has a distinct spirit and from a design perspective we continually try to challenge the norm and stand out from the crowd. Our current uniform has been around for more than 10 years and we have seen other airlines start to copy it. When we were choosing the designer for this project, we wanted to work with a group of people who share our spirit of adventure, who believe in challenging the status quo and creating something truly memorable.”

Scroll down to check out a couple of the sketches that will be made into full uniforms for the flight crew on Virgin Atlantic.