United Airlines has announced plans to partner with three design and apparel companies for its new uniforms.
Brooks Brothers will design and manufacture uniforms for all United pilots and for male flight attendants and customer service representatives, while American fashion design house Tracy Reese will partner with the men’s clothier to design the female uniforms which will be manufactured by Brooks Brothers.
US work clothes manufacturer Carhartt will outfit ramp service, technical operations and catering operations employees
In addition Tumi will become the official luggage provider for all of United’s 24,000 flight attendants, with employees receiving their choice of either a two-wheel or four-wheel bags.
Over 70,000 front-line employees will be kitted out with the new uniforms, with the rollout expected in 2020.
United said the partnership had been based on employee feedback from focus groups, open houses and surveys, with senior vice president of global customer service delivery and chief customer officer Kate Gebo stating that “The partners we’ve selected uniquely match what our employees asked for in a uniforms programme – style, comfort and durability”.
“We recognized early on that this would not be a ‘one size fits all’ solution – front-line employees perform vastly different roles and deserve a uniform that meets their specific needs, created by leaders in the apparel business,” said Gebo.
“Our United family is excited to see how these trusted and innovative brands will deliver world-class uniforms in close collaboration with our employees.”
Fellow North American carrier Air Canada recently unveiled new uniforms as part of a wider refresh marking Canada’s 150th anniversary year, while New York-based designer Zac Posen is creating the new Delta uniforms which will launch in early 2018.
