SEATTLE, Jan. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska
Airlines and fashion designer Luly
Yang debuted a modern, West Coast-inspired, custom-designed
uniform collection today. At a fashion show this afternoon inside
Alaska's Sea-Tac hangar, employee
models walked the runway, showcasing over 90 garments and
accessories to thousands of employees. The design, which has been
more than two years in the making, will clad 19,000 Alaska, Virgin America and Horizon Air
uniformed employees starting in late 2019.
"Luly's designs perfectly capture our fresh, West Coast vibe and
we're absolutely thrilled with the collection," said Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines' vice president
of marketing. "Like our refreshed brand, launched in early 2016,
our new uniform collection includes bright pops of color, clean
lines and stunning finishes, creating a stylish yet approachable
look."
Echoing Woerner's remarks was Justin
Fitzgerald, a flight attendant who worked for Virgin America
and now Alaska Airlines. "The Virgin America uniform has been such
a sleek and modern look that I thought it would be so hard to top,"
he said. "Seeing Luly's designs brought to life has been super
exciting! Ms. Yang has taken a lot of our input and has created a
very cool, classic yet modern, West Coast vibe!"
The uniforms make their official debut next week, with 130
employee wear testers – flight attendants, pilots, customer service
agents and lounge employees – putting the uniforms through their
paces for the next 60 days.
West Coast modern design
Yang opened her first studio boutique in downtown Seattle in 2000. Today, she is an
internationally known designer headquartered in Seattle, whose portfolio has expanded to
include red carpet couture gowns, bridal collections, cocktail
attire, bespoke menswear and hotel uniforms. Yang's Luly
Label ready to wear, cashmere knits and leather accessories are
available online and in her showroom for the general public. She is
known for her timeless design solutions and signature fit,
cultivated over years of experience. Her past career as an
architectural graphic designer inspired her mantra of the perfect
marriage between "Form and Function."
On the blog: See
Luly's design sketches come to life.
Over two years in the making
Alaska began the project by
surveying thousands of uniformed employees; following up with focus
groups and work site visits to understand the features different
workgroups wanted to see in their new uniforms. Overwhelmingly, the
top requests from employees were more pockets and designs that look
great on all body shapes and sizes, as well as performance over a
range of climates. The collection is designed to be layered so that
employees can self-regulate comfort while working in the freezing
temperatures of Barrow, Alaska, to
the balmier weather of Mexico.
Using this research and information she gathered from
face-to-face interactions with employees across the system, Yang
spent two years designing and creating a signature silhouette for
the Alaska program. Her focus on
fit and function enabled additional touches including water
resistant materials, active wear fabrics, longer shirt tails that
don't untuck from skirts and trousers, and flexible textiles that
move with the body.
"Working on the Alaska Airlines custom uniform program has been
one of the most complex and rewarding challenges of my career,"
said Yang. "With 45 sizes per style and 13 very distinct work
groups, this was the ultimate puzzle to solve. My hope is that
employees feel that they were heard throughout this process, love
the collection and wear their uniforms with pride."
Seeking high quality and transparency in the manufacturing of
their uniforms, Alaska
selected uniform supplier Unisync Group Limited of
Toronto. An industry leader,
Unisync is one of the largest uniform suppliers in
North America.
Working in close partnership with Yang, Unisync produced custom
fabrics, buttons and signature accessories for the new program
working to ensure the garments provide optimal on-the-job
performance, while also reflecting Alaska's refreshed brand.
"Unisync is thrilled to be the selected partner of Alaska. We're looking forward to contributing
our experience and expertise and providing the best program
possible for Alaska's 19,000
employees," said Michael Smith,
Unisync's senior vice president of service and supply chain.
Alaska adopts
industry-leading safety standards
Before the designs, before the first stitch, and before the first
button sewn, Alaska took steps to
ensure that employee uniforms were safe and high in quality.
Alaska Airlines, in partnership with Unisync and OEKO-TEX, will
ensure that every custom uniform garment receives STANDARD 100 by
OEKO-TEX® certification. This standard was developed in 1992 by the
International OEKO-TEX Association, a consortium of 15 textile
research and testing institutions in Europe and Japan with offices in more than 60 countries.
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 is one of the most progressive textile
standards in the world and is known for ensuring that textiles are
free of potentially harmful substances and allergens. This standard
is used by retailers, including Pottery Barn, Calvin Klein, Under Armour and children's-wear
company Hanna Andersson.
"We have the trifecta of excellence in our uniform partners,"
said Ann Ardizzone, vice president
strategic sourcing and supply chain for Alaska Airlines. "We knew
that the unique combination of Luly's vision, in partnership with
the discipline and depth of Unisync and OEKO-TEX, would yield great
things. By building safety into the sourcing of materials and
applying that standard throughout the process, we're able to
deliver a uniform that not only looks beautiful, but is safe for
our employees."
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® ensures that substances used in
textile production of a garment meet or exceed global safety
standards; it also requires suppliers gain certification to produce
each garment component, down to the color, material, thread and
dyes.
"Achieving STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification requires a
rigorous commitment to safety and supply chain excellence; it's a
long-term investment in the future of this program," said
Ben Mead, representative of
OEKO-TEX. "In order to become certified, every single component
from the buttons to the thread in every single garment has to be
tested at the supplier source─it's truly a foundational program.
We've conducted 1,200 safety tests to date and will continue
through the entirety of the program."
Throughout this process, Alaska's leadership team has demonstrated a
firm commitment to producing a high quality uniform that adheres to
an industry leading safety program, the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®,"
said Michael Smith, Unisync's senior
vice president of service and supply chain. "Unisync is proud
to be a part of helping Alaska
achieve such a rigorous standard."
In total, Alaska's new custom
uniforms will incorporate over 100,000 zippers, over 1 million
buttons, over 500,000 yards of fabric and will use well over 30
million yards of thread in the final program.
On the blog: The evolution of West Coast modern – airline
uniforms through the ages
Editor's note: Photos from the event will be shared using
the hashtag #FlyFashion across Alaska Airlines social channels
including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. High resolution,
broadcast quality b-roll, and photos will be available at
blog.alaskaair.com by 8 p.m. Pacific
time, Jan.18.
Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional
partners, flies 40 million guests a year to more than 115
destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across
the United States and to
Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. With Alaska and
Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights
to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked
"Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in
North America" in the J.D. Power
North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008
to 2017. Learn more about Alaska's
award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and
blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air
are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines