Air India has recently unveiled a new partnership with renowned fashion designer Manish Malhotra, marking a significant development in the airline's ongoing modernization efforts. Under this collaboration, more than 10,000 Air India frontline employees, including cabin crew, cockpit crew, ground staff, and security personnel, will receive specially designed uniforms by Manish Malhotra by the end of this year.
This collaboration represents a crucial step in Air India's journey to redefine its global brand identity. According to a press release from the airline, Air India aims to project a vibrant, bold, and progressive image of India on the global stage, and these new uniforms are a part of that vision.
Campbell Wilson, the CEO and MD of Air India, expressed his enthusiasm about this partnership, stating, "Air India is delighted to be collaborating with Manish Malhotra to realize 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."
In response to this collaboration, Manish Malhotra shared his excitement, saying, "It's an absolute honor 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 modernize without forgetting. Together, we aim to intertwine tradition with the future, crafting uniforms where comfort meets authenticity, wrapped in timeless elegance."
This partnership not only reflects Air India's commitment to modernization but also showcases the fusion of traditional Indian culture and contemporary design in the aviation industry.
Malhotra's prolific career spanning over 30 years as a couturier, costume stylist, and entrepreneur, has seen him revolutionise the fashion landscape in India. While his designs are characterised by their use of rich fabrics and bold colours, his clothes are known for their perfect fit. He has 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, the release added.