DALLAS, Jan 9, 2010 / FW/ — Air New Zealand is going the way of Air France and Delta Airlines – have a fashion designer envision the uniforms of their crew. The Kiwi airline announced today that Trelise Cooper, one of New Zealand’s leading fashion designers will assist in the design of the next Air New Zealand uniform.
Known for her original expression of fashion, Trelise Cooper made her name in high street by catering to the individual needs of the idiosyncratic-yet-sophisticated modern-day woman.
Cooper was chosen by Air New Zealand to design the new uniforms for her outstanding design concepts, of which she presented a collection of more than 60 at the end of last year.
Since then she has been working with dozens of Air New Zealanders to further understand the style and functionality needs of seven different work groups scattered across many different parts of the world.
The proposed uniforms are contemporary and based on New Zealand themes with a cohesive visual uniformity while still allowing individual choice by addressing body type and personality preference.
For women, this will include a variety of jacket, skirt and trouser options as well as dresses, blouses and shirts. The uniform for females has a greater expression of femininity based on their feedback and overall the uniform will be more tailored, reflective of Air New Zealand’s status as a premium carrier.
The collection has varying levels of formality, especially for cabin crew, one that provides a more formal look when travelling through airports and welcoming customers onboard, changing to a more casual and friendly style once in the air.
Color highlights of twilight pink for cabin crew, godzone green for ground staff and sky blue for ground and in-flight managers will be underpinned by black formal items such as suits and coats. Uniforms for in-flight concierges, pilots and several other work groups are currently being developed.
The final design for the uniform will be completed over the coming months after further staff feedback, followed by fabric selection and testing, wearer trials and production of an expected 90,000 garments to create a uniform that will be worn by more than 5,000 staff.
“I have developed uniforms for other organizations and working with Air New Zealand on their new uniform is a real highlight,” said Cooper. “I fly regularly and understand that functionality for the wearer is just as important as how you look. It is extremely gratifying to create a collection that can suit a variety of body shapes and work requirements.”
Trelise’s selection follows an extensive review of more than 25 New Zealand designers. She joins a prestigious line-up of designers who have produced the national carrier’s uniform including Christian Dior, Nina Ricci, Isobel Harris, Barbara Lee and Zambesi.
The new uniform will be introduced in 2011 to coincide with the introduction of a new fleet of 777-300 aircraft.
