Dutch design up in the air

Lifestyle / Fashion design / Product design

KLM has engaged Dutch designers to keep air travel stylish. The KLM ladies will soon wear new creations from Mart Visser and select passengers from World Business Class will dine from Marcel Wanders-designed tableware.

By Jeanne Tan /asdf 11-02-2009

Emilio Pucci, Christian Lacroix, Ninna Ricci, Christophe Galibert, Ritu Beri, Julien Macdonald, Yoshie Inaba, Pierre Cardin, Richard Tyler, Yves Saint Laurent.

Not only a who's who list of fashion designers from today and days gone past, but also those who have lent a hand to creating stylish cabin crew uniforms for different international airlines.

Mart Visser will soon join that list: as of April 2010, the ladies of KLM will be strutting around in the Dutch couturier's new creations. The new KLM ladies uniform in the trademark blue (and the same fabric) will be worn by cabin and ground personnel, as well as for female pilots serving KLM and KLM Cityhopper. It replaces the current uniform designed by Ninna Ricci which was presented in 1990.

Mart Visser’s design will be KLM’s 10th ladies uniform since the first was introduced in 1935. In total 11 items were created for this mini collection which features Visser's confident style and trademark tight lines that accentuate the body. Visser is among a handful of Dutch designers who have designed cabin crew uniforms: the KLM men’s uniform, introduced in 2000, was designed by Oger and Transavia's were designed by Michiel Keuper and Francisco van Benthum.

Dutch design will feature in another part of KLM beyond the new ladies' uniforms. Marcel Wanders has redesigned the tableware for KLM's World Business Class. In addition to tableware, Wanders has also created cutlery, glasses, table linen and serving trays. The new designs are set to be in the air at the end of this year.