Trelise Cooper to Design New Air New Zealand Uniforms

Air New Zealand has engaged Trelise Cooper, one of New Zealand's leading fashion designers, to assist in the design of the next Air New Zealand uniform. The uniform will be introduced in 2011 to coincide with the introduction of a new fleet of Boeing 777-300 aircraft.

"We will introduce a uniform to coincide with our new long haul product and interiors early next year which will provide customers with a number of world-first experiences not currently available on any other carrier," said Ed Sims, Air New Zealand Group General Manager International Airline.

"Trelise was chosen 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.

"We have also been working closely with Trelise to ensure the uniform colour palette works in harmony with our soon to be unveiled new aircraft interiors," Mr Sims added.

The uniform is contemporary, 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 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.

Colour highlights of twilight pink for cabin crew, godzone green for ground staff and sky blue for ground and inflight managers will be underpinned by black formal items such as suits and coats. Uniforms for inflight 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 organisations and working with Air New Zealand on their new uniform is a real highlight," said Mrs 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.

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