The story behind the Virgin Atlantic uniform

By Virgin Atlantic | 24 August 2026 | 7 minute read

Few things say Virgin Atlantic quite like our uniform

From the grey designs worn in our earliest days to the unmistakable red and burgundy of today, our uniforms have changed a lot since we first took to the skies in 1984. Along the way, some of British fashion’s best-known designers have helped shape a look that has become part of our identity.

But there’s much more to a Virgin Atlantic uniform than its colour. There are decades of design, craftsmanship and very clever tailoring behind it, plus the people who make sure everything fits just as it should.

Here’s the story behind one of the most recognisable airline uniforms around.

© Virgin Atlantic. Image digitally restored using generative AI.

From grey beginnings

Yes, really. Virgin Atlantic used to wear grey.

Our first uniform was designed by British fashion designer Arabella Pollen, and people were talking about it before our first flight had even left the ground. By 1987, the uniform had even made its way onto British television, proving that aviation fashion was already attracting attention.

The colour palette may have been rather more restrained than the Virgin Atlantic look we know today, but the thinking behind it was already familiar: create something distinctive, stylish and different from the crowd.

Arabella Pollen designed two of our early uniforms before David and Elizabeth Emanuel took over in 1991. John Rocha followed in 1999, bringing purple into the mix, before Vivienne Westwood became the latest designer to put her stamp on Virgin Atlantic in 2014. In total, our people have worn five generations of Virgin Atlantic uniform since 1984.

When Virgin Atlantic met Vivienne Westwood

Bringing Virgin Atlantic and Vivienne Westwood together made rather a lot of sense.

Both brands had a reputation for challenging convention, and Westwood’s designs gave the Virgin Atlantic uniform a new look that was bold, tailored and unmistakably British.

Introduced in 2014, the collection took inspiration from 1940s French couture and the heritage of Savile Row tailoring. The red jacket became one of its defining pieces, alongside burgundy designs worn across other roles.

Sustainability was also considered as part of the original design. The collection incorporated recycled materials, including recycled polyester yarn, while some fabrics were developed to help garments retain their finish for longer.

The result was an airline uniform designed to stand out in an industry traditionally dominated by more conservative colours and styles.

More than a cabin crew uniform

When you picture a Virgin Atlantic uniform, cabin crew might be the first people who spring to mind, but they are only part of the story.

Different uniforms and garments are worn across our teams, including pilots, airport colleagues, engineers and Retail and Clubhouse teams. Different roles have different practical requirements too, which means the uniform has to do much more than simply look good.

It needs to work through busy shifts, long-haul flights and everything that happens behind the scenes to get an aircraft ready to fly.

That’s where the tailoring comes in.

Meet the woman behind thousands of alterations

For decades, seamstress Chris Jepson has helped make sure Virgin Atlantic uniforms look and feel right on the people wearing them.

Her connection with the airline stretches all the way back to the Arabella Pollen uniform. One of her earliest jobs was taking up the trousers from that very first design.

And uniform alterations can be surprisingly complicated.

Shortening the sleeves of a red jacket, for example, can mean dealing with intricate buttonholes. Adding the braiding to a captain’s hat brings an entirely different challenge, not least for the person doing the sewing.

Chris comes from a family of expert seamstresses. Her mother trained at the fashion house of Sir Norman Hartnell and worked on clothing connected with Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding and coronation. Chris herself originally studied chemical engineering before joining the family alterations business, and she sees plenty of similarities between engineering and tailoring: both demand logic, precision and a knack for working out how things fit together.

There is one occupational hazard, though. Red thread. Everywhere.

A uniform made for individuality

The Virgin Atlantic uniform has continued to evolve without needing an entirely new design.

In 2022, we changed our uniform code so crew, pilots and ground teams could choose the Vivienne Westwood uniform option that best represents how they identify or present themselves, rather than clothing being prescribed according to gender.

It was another step in a wider move to give our people more freedom to be themselves at work, following changes including making make-up optional and allowing visible tattoos.

The clothes may be carefully tailored, but the people wearing them were never meant to look identical.

Five things you might not know about the Virgin Atlantic uniform

The original Arabella Pollen-designed Virgin Atlantic uniform was grey.

Designers have included Arabella Pollen, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, John Rocha and Vivienne Westwood.

The 2014 collection referenced 1940s French couture alongside traditional British tailoring.

Pilots, engineers, airport teams, Clubhouse colleagues and our Virgin Atlantic Holidays retail team are among those with their own uniform requirements.

Chris Jepson's work with Virgin Atlantic stretches back to alterations on the original Arabella Pollen designs.

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