In accordance with STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, the highest industry standard for safety, Alaska Airlines unveils its new Luly Yang custom-designed uniform collection. With the new designs, Alaska and Horizon Air have become the first U.S. airlines to achieve this certification.
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, developed in 1992 by an international consortium of textile research and testing institutes, ensures that garments meet or exceed global safety standards with regards to harmful substances.
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Thus, the completed uniforms are certified down to the tiniest detail, from the material to the thread to the dyes.
To achieve this standard, Alaska and Yang teamed up with Unisync Group Limited of Toronto, one of the largest uniform suppliers in North America, to produce custom fabrics, buttons and signature accessories for the new program, ensuring the garments provide optimal on-the-job performance and earn the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX certification.
The design has been continually modified since its debut in 2018, with more than 175 employees offering their input after putting the uniforms to the test on the job.
In addition, thousands of uniformed employees were surveyed to get insight into what should be included in the new uniforms. Overwhelmingly, the top requests from employees were more pockets and designs that look great on all body shapes and sizes and were suited for a wide range of climates.
In total, Alaska’s custom uniforms incorporate more than 100,000 zippers, 1 million buttons, 500,000 yards of fabric and use well over 30 million yards of thread. Luly Yang also incorporated unique features including water-resistant materials, activewear fabrics, longer shirt tails that don’t untuck from skirts and trousers and flexible textiles that move with the body.
Horizon Air and Alaska Lounge concierges are already donning the new uniforms. The remaining staff should be receiving their own uniforms in early 2020.
