British Airways (BA) has added the hijab to its uniform options as part of a complete relaunch of its staff clothing in 2023.
The airline unveiled its new uniforms – designed by British Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng – last week, ushering in its first clothing revamp in two decades.
The new collection, described as “an airline first”, features a greater diversity of options, including a bespoke modern jumpsuit and a tunic and hijab option.
“Our uniform is an iconic representation of our brand, something that will carry us into our future, representing the very best of modern Britain,” said BA Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle in a statement on the company’s website.
“We wanted to create a uniform collection that our people are proud to wear and with the help of over 1,500 colleagues, we are confident that we have delivered this,” he added.
Boateng consulted thousands of BA staff and shadowed crew at the airport when designing the uniforms to ensure they were fit for purpose.
BA boasted on its website that the clothes offer a “stylish look with high quality, resilient fabrics”. It also said that more than 90 percent of the garments are produced from sustainable materials.
30,000 employees are slated to be wearing the new uniforms by spring 2023.
By the summer, all BA cabin crew with be sporting Boateng’s designs.
Boateng said: “Designing this uniform was a vast and painstaking undertaking and it went far beyond clothes. It was about creating an energetic shift internally.
“One of my main objectives was to create something that spoke to, and for, the airline’s colleagues. Something that inspired and empowered them.”
