Virgin Atlantic Taps Vivienne Westwood for New Uniforms

Virgin Atlantic announced last week that it has commissioned top fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, best known for bringing punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream, to redesign uniforms for its 7,500 crew, including flight attendants, pilots, and ground crew, The Los Angeles Times reports.

According to the announcement, Westwood’s goal with the new uniforms is “a futuristic look, which references her enduring interest in ’40s French couture cutting techniques as well as the Savile Row tailoring heritage.” The men, in flight, will wear burgundy wool three-piece suits with shadow details under jacket lapels and pockets, while women will walk the aisle in a jacket and pencil skirt meant to flatter the female form with bust pleats, a nipped waist, and a curved hip line—all in an eye-catching Virgin red.

As the Times points out, what makes this announcement most notable isn’t the connection with the designer—many airlines have done that before—but that Virgin Atlantic’s new uniforms (which roll out in 2014) will made using recycled materials (including polyester yarns made from recycled soda bottles).