KARACHI (The Thursday Times) — Pakistan International Airlines unveiled new cabin crew uniforms on Thursday, designed by fashion designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin after a competitive showcase that pitted his collection against entries from nine other designers.
The uniforms, in dark green with structured tailoring, are built for long-haul wear and easy movement, PIA said, with soft, breathable fabrics. They will enter service from October 31, debuting on the inaugural flight of PIA’s newly acquired Dreamliner from London to Islamabad.
Beating nine other designers
PIA had used uniforms from a rotating set of designers over the past 12 years. For the new look, it staged a showcase in Karachi featuring collections from Maheen Khan, Deepak and Fahad, Generation, Ismail Farid, Munib Nawaz, Deepak Perwani, Faraz Manan, Amir Adnan and Nomi Ansari, alongside Yasin’s entry.
A panel picked the winner: Khaadi founder and chief executive Shamoon Sultan; Nilofer Shahid of House of Meeras; beauty and style figure Nabila; Hina Tayyaba Khalil, vice-chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design; and Naseem Tehrani, a PIA veteran of 33 years.
‘Collective pride’
Yasin said designing for the national carrier was a matter of “capturing our collective pride and the genuine warmth of Pakistani hospitality,” and that he aimed for crew to feel “extraordinarily confident and comfortable.” His designs, he said, “respect our heritage, reflect modern fashion and tell our story beautifully in every airport across the globe.”
PIA’s uniforms have a history of high-profile design: Pierre Cardin designed the airline’s A-line tunic and hood in 1966, credited with helping define aviation chic internationally, and Sir Hardy Amies, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s couturier, designed for the airline in the 1970s.∎
