This year’s Image of the Year Award® transportation and “best of the best” winner is WestJet Airlines, a Canadian airline headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. It is the second-largest Canadian airline, behind Air Canada, employing over 10,000 uniformed employees and carrying tens of millions of passengers per year.
The collection was designed in collaboration with Juli Grbac and manufactured/distributed by Unisync. The new collection includes pieces for the workgroups of pilots, flight attendants,airport agents and the lounge, and creates a consistent and professional look across all styles. Fabrics chosen have elevated quality in drape, hand feel, stretch and durability. WestJet’s brand colors have been subtly implemented to create a unique and identifiable look.
The program is highlighted by the melange suiting fabric with twisted teal yarn woven in, women’s tailored signature dress, women’s blouses to deviate from the traditional dress shirt look, and retail inspired trench coats for both men and women. Importantly, garments are also certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, the highest industry standard for safety. WestJet is the first Canadian airline to achieve this certification.
The airline’s old program required all suiting pieces to be dry cleaned, a costly and inconvenient option for end users. Unisync developed a Poly/Wool/Lycra/Anti-static fabric that utilized mercerized wool to allow for the fabric to withstand home laundering. Every suiting piece in the program (except the blazer) has been extensively tested to ensure the garments maintain their shape, durability, color and function over an extended life of home laundering.
It’s not too early to start thinking about NAUMD’s 2023 awards. Look for entry materials early this fall, and contact rick.levine@naumd.com for any tips and advice on entering.
