Air India selects fashion designer Manish Malhotra to design new uniforms for over 10,000 employees

Tata-owned Air India on Thursday announced its partnership with celebrated fashion designer Manish Malhotra to design new uniforms for over 10,000 employees, including cabin crew, cockpit crew, ground and security staff.

This is a further step in the manifestation of Air India’s new global brand identity as part of its ongoing modernisation programme, the airline said in a press release. Air India expects to commence rolling out the new look for its uniformed employees by the end of 2023.

Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India, said: “Air India is delighted to be collaborating with Manish Malhotra to realise our shared ambition of representing the very best of a vibrant, bold, and progressive India on the world stage. We are working closely with Manish and his team to combine elements of our brand, our heritage and our culture, together with the unique requirements of the airline environment, for what we hope will be a fresh and exciting new look that supports and represents the new Air India.”

Manish Malhotra said: "It’s an absolute honour to collaborate with Air India, our national flying ambassadors. Reimagining their uniforms is the onset of a journey of joy and collaboration, and I am excited to embark on it. Our shared ideology is simple yet profound: to evolve without erasing, to modernise without forgetting. Together, we
aim to intertwine tradition with the future, crafting uniforms where comfort meets authenticity, wrapped in timeless elegance."

Malhotra and his team have begun meeting Air India’s frontline staff, conducting discussions and fitting sessions with them to better understand their specialised needs, the airline said.
 
Malhotra styled and designed costumes for over a thousand films, including some of the biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema, besides dressing A-list celebrities from around the world.

In August, Air India unveiled a new brand identity and aircraft livery as the airline moves ahead with its transformation plan since being taken over by Tata Group more than one-and-a-half years ago.

The new look re-imagines the iconic Indian window shape, historically used by Air India, into a gold window frame that becomes central to the new brand design system. It symbolises a 'Window of Possibilities', according to a release.

The airline said the new aircraft livery and design features a palette of deep red, aubergine, and gold highlights as well as a chakra-inspired pattern.

Travellers will begin to see the new logo throughout their journey starting December 2023, when the airline's first A350 enters the fleet in the new livery, according to the airline.
Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India in January 2022.

Earlier this year, Air India placed orders for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing at $70 billion (based on published list prices). The deliveries of the new planes will start from November this year.

As part of its transformation plan, the airline is leasing and buying 20 wide-body aircraft this year. Besides, a USD 400 million programme to completely refurbish the interiors of its legacy fleet of 43 widebody aircraft will commence in the middle of next year.

By March 2024, the carrier expects that 33 per cent of its wide-body fleet will be upgraded.

With inputs from PTI