Delta Air Lines plans to roll out new employee unforms in more sedate navy blue and burgundy colors, to eventually replace problematic purple fabrics that prompted lawsuits and complaints about skin rashes.
Atlanta-based Delta is using a different supplier, GPS Apparel by Gap Inc., to make the uniforms that have been been developed and designed over the last year and a half. Its purple uniforms were part of a collection made by Lands’ End and rolled out in 2018.
The airline on Wednesday unveiled prototypes for uniforms that will be worn by its flight attendants, airport customer service agents, cargo agents and mechanics. Delta said it collected feedback from employees on the designs.
The new uniforms come in colors that are “a return to a more classic color palette inspired by Delta’s brand identity and heritage,” according to the company.
The designs include the Delta symbol known as its “widget” logo “in ways both obvious and subtle,” the airline said.
Credit: Source: Delta
Credit: Source: Delta
The garments are made from fabrics that received a textile industry certification known as OEKO-TEX and passed safety tests for harmful substances.
The uniforms will be wear tested this fall, according to Delta.
After that, it will take a few years before the uniforms are rolled out to all employees.
Ranjan Goswami, Delta’s senior vice president of customer experience design, said in a written statement that “any evolution of the uniform program will take time and deliberation to get right.”
“We are committed to using this time to listen, learn and iterate as we work toward a new look,” he said.
Credit: Source: Delta
Credit: Source: Delta
The announcement included no mention of a flashy designer behind the new uniform collection. The shift to a lower-key uniform unveiling comes after Delta has done big launches with prominent designers for two previous rollouts, each of which were followed by some controversy.
In 2005, Delta previewed a new collection of flight attendant and customer service agent uniforms designed by Richard Tyler during Fashion Week in New York. Tyler called the Delta uniforms “chic and glamorous” at the time, and the pieces included an eye-catching red dress.
In 2009, a union representing flight attendants at Delta merger partner Northwest Airlines complained that the dress was not made larger than a size 18.
In 2018, Delta rolled out its purple uniforms for flight attendants and airport customer service workers as part of a Zac Posen uniform collection unveiled at a flashy event. Last month, Gap Inc. announced it had hired Posen as its creative director.
The issue with the purple uniforms prompted lawsuits filed by Delta employees who alleged that wearing their uniforms caused skin rashes, headaches, fatigue and other issues.
In 2022, some Delta employees began wearing new gray uniforms, after opting out of the purple uniforms.
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