PIA set to unveil new crew uniform — how it evolved over decades

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is set to change the uniform worn by its cabin crew and onboard staff, bringing an end to a design that has been in use for about a decade.

The airline recently announced the move on Instagram, saying it was time for a change in keeping with its traditions and that a new uniform designed by some of Pakistan’s leading creative minds would soon be unveiled.

The new design, PIA said, will seek to blend the country’s cultural heritage with contemporary innovation.

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The move comes as PIA enters a new phase following the transfer of management control to PIA Equity Limited, the special purpose vehicle of the Arif Habib-led consortium, on June 29.

PIA’s official company profile says PIA Equity Limited currently holds a 66.67 per cent stake in the airline, with the remaining 33.33 per cent held by PIA Holding Company Limited.

But PIA’s uniforms have never been merely about clothing. Over the decades, they have reflected the airline’s identity, Pakistan’s changing fashion sensibilities and, at times, its ambition to compete with the world’s leading carriers.

From national colours to international fashion

PIA’s documented uniform history goes back to the 1950s, with designs changing repeatedly over the decades. The airline’s uniforms are recorded as having been redesigned for the periods 1954-56, 1956-60, 1960-66, 1966-75, 1975-86, 1986-2003, 2004-16 and 2016 onwards.

One of the earliest notable designs was introduced in 1956. Created jointly by Pakistani designer Laila Shahzada and Chausie Fountainer, an American of French descent who was serving as a cabin crew trainer, the uniform combined a green shirt with white cuffs and collar with a white shalwar and dupatta. Black shoes and handbags completed the outfit, while a distinctive green cap gave it a particularly recognisable look.

The design was significant because it brought elements of Pakistani national dress into the uniform of an airline that was rapidly expanding its international presence.

From 1960 to 1966, designer Feroze Cowasji introduced modifications to the earlier design, including a shorter folded dupatta.

Then came perhaps the most famous chapter in PIA’s fashion history.

In 1966, renowned French designer Pierre Cardin created a new uniform for the airline. The summer version featured a fawn colour while the winter uniform was moss green.

The short A-line tunic, slim trousers and specially shaped dupatta became an instant talking point and helped give PIA an unusually fashionable image among international airlines.

PIA’s own history describes the move as one that helped imprint the airline’s name on the international market.

The Cardin uniform remained in use until 1975.

When PIA looked to British fashion

In 1975, British designer Sir Hardy Amies, best known as the dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth II, designed another striking uniform for PIA.

The design featured purple and magenta kameezes with embroidered fronts, green shalwars and printed dupattas inspired by the folk clothing of Pakistani villages. Black bags and leather sandals completed the look.

The uniform was unveiled in January 1975 and introduced to cabin crew the following month, remaining in use until 1986.

The following design, introduced in 1986, moved further towards the shalwar kameez.

Created by Pakistani designer Nahid Azfar, it used different colour combinations for summer and winter and incorporated a traditional Mughal-inspired sleeveless waistcoat into the winter outfit.

That design remained in service for 17 years, until 2003.

A modern makeover

PIA introduced another uniform in 2004 before moving to its current design in 2016.

The 2016 makeover was itself an attempt to restore some of the glamour associated with PIA’s past. The airline organised a fashion event in which 16 designers presented proposals for a new uniform.

The winning designs included Nomi Ansari for women’s clothing and Sania Maskatiya for the scarf and apron. Other designers were involved in menswear, accessories and additional elements of the uniform.

The current women’s uniform, according to the PIA history archive, features plum-coloured trousers, a shirt and cap carrying a stylised PIA Urdu logo, while the turquoise headscarf with a flying-birds print was designed by Sania Maskatiya.

Now, after roughly 10 years, PIA is preparing to replace that look.

A new look for a new PIA?

The timing gives the uniform change an added significance.

PIA is attempting to reinvent itself after the transfer of management control to the Arif Habib-led consortium. The airline has also recently announced an expansion of its London operation from four to seven weekly flights from October 27, with five flights from Islamabad and two from Lahore.

Whether a new uniform can help revive the glamour once associated with the national carrier remains to be seen. But PIA’s own history shows that its cabin crew attire has often been more than a dress code.

From the green-and-white outfits of the 1950s to Pierre Cardin’s internationally acclaimed designs and the colourful creations of later Pakistani designers, the uniform has repeatedly served as a visual statement of what PIA wanted to represent.

The next design, therefore, will not simply replace a 10-year-old uniform. It will add another chapter to one of the more distinctive fashion histories in the story of Pakistan’s national airline.