Jetstar unveiled their new staff uniforms.
Video / Sarah Pollok
If you fly with Jetstar later this year, be prepared for things to look a little different.
Today, Jetstar has revealed new uniforms for its pilots, cabin crew and airport workers, which will be rolled out in late 2024.
But don’t fret. One iconic feature of the Jetstar uniform is not being being tossed out anytime soon. “The myths have been busted, there’s still an orange jacket,” Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully joked to the crowd gathered in Melbourne for the fashion show reveal.
The new designs have been created by an Australian designer, Genevive Smart, who worked with 40 crew over the past 12 months to finalise uniforms that will be worn by more than 5000 frontline team members in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore.
One major change people will notice is the colour, as the black and orange have been traded for a softer orange and the addition of blue; colours the airline says are inspired by the tones of a sunset seen through an aircraft window.
Cabin crew and airport workers will have several options to choose from, allowing more space for individual style and preference. The wardrobe to choose from includes blue and orange blazers, a shirt dress, tailored skirts, tapered pants, polos and overcoats.
More than 5000 crew will wear the new uniforms.
Pilots will change from a classic black uniform to one that is blue, with new epaulettes and a choice of neck scarf for pilots who want to be a little trendy.
But stylish features aren’t the only update that the wardrobe refresh brings to the Jetstar uniform. Comfort had a huge influence on the Airline’s new look, according to Tully.
“It’s important that it’s not only beautiful but functional,” the CEO adds, emphasising the uniforms’ ability to work in all of the varying environments and climates Jetstar flies to.
Why is Jetstar changing its uniform?
This new uniform closely follows a major update that took place just last June.
Those changes involved relaxing uniform guidelines for Jetstar and Qantas staff, to align it with modern, more relaxed business fashion. The change involved dissolving “female” and “male” uniform categories, allowing long hair and not demanding make-up or heels.
This new uniform has the same goal of modernising the airline by providing crew “more freedom to choose”, according to Tully.
“We’ve listened to our people and together wanted to create a uniform that reflects how far we have come as we move into our third decade of operation,” she said, adding that the new collection “caters to everyone”.
The old Jetstar uniforms. Photo / Supplied
What will happen to the old uniforms?
As for what will happen to the tens of thousands of old uniforms, Tully said the airline has a sustainable plan in place. Old uniforms will be disposed of by BlockTexx, a Queensland-based company that turns textiles into raw materials for new products.
“Sustainability has been an important part of the process, including ensuring that Jetstar’s current uniforms are repurposed into new products,” she said.
Who is Genevive Smart?
Similar to Air New Zealand, Jetstar chose local talent for their designer.
Genevive Smart is an Australian designer who co-founded Ginger & Smart with her sister Alexandra Smart in 2002. The premium label has several boutiques around Australia and sells “designs for spirited women whose distinctive style is an expression of their individuality,” according to the website.
Smart said she began the design process by digging into the airline’s core values of unity, fun, affordable travel and vacations, and saw the change in colour as a revelation of the airline’s growth.
“The evolution from black to a dynamic blue and orange palette reflects Jetstar’s transformative journey over the past two decades,” she said.
Speaking at the Melbourne uniform reveal, Smart shed some light on the airline’s new colour combination, adding that orange and blue are opposite on the colour wheel, which means the pairing has “great energy”.
The pieces themselves, Smart said, aimed to evoke holiday outfits.
“The looks were intended to feel like pieces one might instinctively pack for a holiday, whether it’s a linen jacket and cotton chinos, a shirt dress, or a smart polo.”
According to Smart, the overarching message from crew was that they wanted to wear something “desirable”, something the passenger would want to wear.
Australian designer Genevieve Smart (centre) has created the collections.
Change is in the air
Jetstar’s last uniform change was 20 years ago and this update comes hot on the heels of Air New Zealand, which has teased their reveal over several months.
During an exclusive event on November 6, 2023, Air NZ shared only the identity of the designer; a London-based Kiwi whose pieces have been worn by Kate, Princess of Wales, and former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern.
What she ultimately creates for Air NZ will not be revealed until after June 2024. However, Kiwis didn’t wait to share their thoughts on the airline’s pick of a designer.
