Ukrainian airline, SkyUp, in a welcome move has decided to do away with the obligatory high heel requirement as part of their crew’s uniform policy. Workers will be allowed to sport comfortable sneakers from the coming month, making their long shifts a little less taxing.
A truly progressive update
The low-cost carrier is all set to replace its flight attendant’s uniform in a bid to offer more comfort. This decision comes on the back of SkyUp’s marketing head, Marianna Gygoras’s, vision to break away from the stereotypical sexualizing of cabin crews and deliberate romanticizing of a profession that involves sheer hard work.
“Times have changed, women have changed, so in contrast to the conservative classics, heels, red lipstick and a bun, a new, more modern and comfortable image of a ‘champion’ has appeared. Freedom, natural beauty, individuality, comfort and sneakers in which everyone ‘would like to fly’.” Said Marianna
Life as a flight attendant is nothing like it’s perceived to be. The inclusion of comfortable uniforms comes as a milestone step in an industry that relied on projecting a glamorous picture of itself to be seen as professional.
“Twelve hours on your feet, flying from Kyiv to Zanzibar and back. If you wear high heels, you are hardly able to walk afterwards,” shares flight attendant Daria Solomennaya, 27, as reported by the BBC.
“That includes four hours of security checks and cleaning.”
With SkyUp’s attendants all set to slip into their new & comfortable uniforms from the coming month, it’s a striking reminder to everyone in the aviation industry that professionalism needn’t come at the cost of workplace comfort.
SkyUp championing change the comfortable way
This major development is a part of SkyUp airline’s Champions initiative wherein the carrier strives to adopt a new, defining identity for itself beyond the conventional take of being comfortable and stylish.
The switching of attendant’s uniforms to a more comfortable, easy-going workwear that doesn’t subject attendants to sexual objectification and instead empowers them to be truly themselves perfectly aligns with SkyUp’s reformed vision.
The new attire will see the attendants ditching suits with skirts for trouser suits and trench coats made of Italian eco-leather from the house of Ukranian fashion brand GUDU. And their footwear will be replaced by the super comfortable Nike Air Max 720s.
Accentuating the new uniform will be a blue silk scarf that the airline calls “the main accent of the image” backed by GUNIA project. To complement it all, attendants will be seen sporting a bright orange suitcase by Have A Rest, darting across timelines with a beaming smile of comfort on their faces.
The industry embraces shifting paradigms
It’s remarkable how the aviation industry hasn’t shied away from the wave of change. They have instead acted quite responsibly in their capacities to upgrade flight attendant uniforms to match present-day needs.
For instance, Flair Airlines & United Airlines have recently hit the headlines for updating attendant uniforms for better comfort and ease at work. Iceland’s PLAY too joined the transformation by letting their attendants switch to a laid-back, leisurely look.
Even Japan airlines has shunned the obligatory high heels requirement to give employees the option to don trousers over skirts. Rules around having mandatory cosmetics onboard too are facing extinction.
With airlines around the world aggressively reforming uniform policies for attendants, it seems the industry is at the cusp of a major transition. From being extremely stringent & stereotypical in its conduct to shaping into a more employee-centric domain fanned by openness and progressive thinking.
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