When Virgin Atlantic tapped Vivienne Westwood to design its latest uniforms, it marked another milestone in a long history of airline-designer collaborations: Christian Lacroix for Air France and Pierre Balmain for Singapore Airlines are just some of the more notable partnerships that had big-name designers keeping cabin crew stylish even at 40,000 feet. Unfortunately for some of Virgin's 7,500 crew members, the uniforms are more flop than fly, as they've caused injuries.
Reports are surfacing that the footwear, an adaptation of Westwood's signature hourglass heels, are giving women blisters, and that the collars on the shirts are so tight that they've even caused wearers to bleed on some occasions.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told Fast Company that the airline "conducted wearer trials globally for six months with over 150 staff volunteers who provided daily feedback on the fabric, fit, practicality and wearability of the uniform," and while no issues came up during that time, it is taking steps to ensure employees are "happy and comfortable in their working environment."
[via FastCoDesign]
