Concepts for Delta's new cabin crew uniforms
The new uniform collection brings back more red outfit options for Delta team members.
Delta's new Elite uniform collection, for premium service team members and lead flight attendants and pursers.
Below-wing uniforms, including Delta Cargo pieces.
Below-wing uniforms including pieces for tech ops and ramp employees.
Close-up of some details of one of Delta's new uniform pieces.

Delta Air Lines unveiled the prototypes for its new uniform collection on Nov. 3 in a fashion show at its Atlanta headquarters. Now the garments move into wear testing and refining before ultimately being rolled out to employees sometime in 2027.

Ahead of the big reveal, Thomas Vasseur, Delta Design Lead, sat down with USA TODAY to talk about what was involved in developing the new collection in partnership with the airline, Missoni and Land's End, and described what the next steps are before it's ready for Delta employees around the world to go to work in the new "Distinctly Delta" uniform.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Question: What went into getting the uniforms ready for this initial reveal?

Vasseur: The main part for me was to understand the voice of the employee ... The first two weeks was reading feedback, trying to listen and hear their voice.

The next step was the sketching part. We wanted to come back to a more classic uniform, to have a clean palette, a reset, with something that would be cleaner for them. The second part also was to select fabrication, the shape and coloration.

We went back to Delta coloration. We have navy, we have white, burgundy and runway red.

(Note: Delta's current uniform collection, designed by Zac Posen and rolled out in the 2010s, has many purple accents, which is not a color that appears in the airline's other branding.)

What happens next? What’s involved in designing and rolling out a new set of airline uniforms?

Vasseur: The most important thing is for employees to see what they’re going to wear in two years. We have a tour called the Distinctly Delta tour, where the team will go to 20 different hubs presenting these pieces to employees in their work stations. After that, we’re going into the full wear test, where we'll look at all the components of every garment.

Every employee who participates in the wear test will have a kit with a certain amount of items selected for them. We want them to really heavily wear them (and) wash them. The fit is the most important, and to see if it lasts.

Which piece or detail are you most excited about?

Vasseur: For (those) above wing, the dresses, we’re very excited about the dresses, employees told us there were silhouettes they loved from the past. We have the red dress; that’s a favorite, iconic piece from the past collection that we reinvented. We do have a signature dress that’s absolutely stunning.

For (those) below wing (ground crew employees like baggage handlers) we have a lot of technical jackets that we are bringing to them. Layering is very important to them below the wing.

What was the most unexpected feedback you received so far?

Vasseur: The pocket part is very important. Flight attendants move so much; they need to store things.

We added some invisible pockets in the pants, in the skirt, (and) in the vest. It’s the details you won’t see until you wear the garments. It was very much about storage, performance, and what was very important for them was durability.

I also shadowed employees across the company in their jobs, even working some flights.

I didn’t realize how much you’re on stage and how much you’re wearing the Delta brand. It was really interesting to see the amount of effort they’re putting in every day.

What else do you want travelers to know about this collection?

Vasseur: Delta is passing through that centennial milestone, 100 years of Delta. It’s almost a reset for employees. We are actually resetting the onboard experience, the airport experience, by having a reset coloration that fits a more modern look.

We took elements of the interior that we added with the uniform, like certain coloration, widget-inspired detail, so it’s almost like a one-brand experience. We wanted consistency from the airport experience and going to the aircraft.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Delta Air Lines' new uniform designer loves a pocket. Here's what went into the new look.

Reporting by Zach Wichter, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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