Australian flag carrier Qantas has taken its new look uniform on a world tour, with the last stop being the Cafe Royal hotel on Regent Street, London, where Business Traveller caught up with designer Martin Grant to discuss his inspiration and pride in the project.

Grant took his influence for the uniform from the Qantas logo, with the red triangle visible throughout the uniforms, in details on the back of the women’s skirts to the underside of the lapels on the overcoats.

“As an Australian ex-pat it is a great privilege to design the Qantas uniform,” says Grant (below, centre). “When I am travelling and I see the red tailfin of a Qantas aircraft I feel like I am home.”

Grant has designed 35 different garments for female and male Qantas employees. Female employees will wear a combination of a dress, top, a suit and a trench overcoat, accompanied by a scarf and a trilby hat in a knitted fabric made from recycled bottle tops. Men will wear suits or polo shirts. Pilot uniforms remain unchanged.

The red soled footwear has been provided for the launch shows by Christian Louboutin, a friend of the Parisian ex-pat Grant, but unfortunately staff won’t be receiving a pair each, with plain black footwear being advised.

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The Department of Finance - Abu Dhabi hosted an event today to officially launch the new uniforms for employees of the General Directorate of Customs at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi in the presence of HE Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority for Culture and Heritage and Member of the Executive Council, HE Hamad Al Hurr Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Department of Finance and members from the Executive Council. The event was also attended by strategic stakeholders of the Directorate of Customs.

The event encompassed a range of different programmes and activities which highlighted the important role that the Directorate of Customs plays in supporting the economic standing of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and of the UAE, and in protecting the local community against external dangers associated with foreign trade.

In his opening speech, HE Saeed Ahmed Abdullah Al Muhairi, Director General of the General Directorate of Customs said: “We are launching our new Customs’ uniform today to encourage a spirit of innovation and creativity in the Directorate of Customs, and to ensure that we are following the best adopted global standards in the field. This follows the directives of our wise leadership and the guidance of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and HH General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. We are also grateful for the continuous support that we receive from HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor, and Vice Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council.”

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ANKARA — Turkish Airlines has banned air hostesses from wearing brightly-coloured lipsticks such as red or pink, a move which has sparked fierce debate as the government is accused of trying to Islamise the country, local media reported Wednesday.

Numerous women posted pictures of themselves wearing bright red lipstick on social media websites to protest at the measure, part of a new aesthetics code for stewardesses working for Turkey's main airline.

The lipstick ban is the latest in a string of conservative measures adopted by the airline, which have sparked the ire of fiercely secular Turks.

"This measure is an act of perversion. How else could you describe it?" said Gursel Tekin, vice-president of the main opposition party CHP.

Turkish Airlines defended the ban, saying in a statement Tuesday that "simple make-up, immaculate and in pastel colours, is preferred for staff working in the service sector."

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The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has recommended internally that women personnel should switch entirely to wearing shirts and trousers while on duty. The committee has said "due thought should be given for a change in uniform for women personnel keeping in mind operational requirement".

The 5,000 women — who make up 4.6 per cent of the CISF's strength — are currently provided with two sets of uniforms, a sari and a shirt and pair of trousers. They are supposed to wear the sari while on duty at PSUs and at functions attended by top political and constitutional functionaries.

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The IJsselland and northeast Gelderland fire brigades in the Netherlands have chosen the superior protection of inherently heat and flame-resistant materials from TenCate Protective Fabrics. The orders, totaling 1,850 uniforms, are from two European contracts.

TenCate has developed new protective fabrics that provide permanent protection as well as a high degree of wearing comfort and quality. Together with its European partners, TenCate Protective Fabrics is applying its expertise to increase the standard of protection of firefighters in other geographic markets. TenCate recently secured a major order for the Amsterdam-Amstelland fire brigade in the Netherlands. Successes in this market have also recently been achieved outside the Netherlands.

Dragonair has announced the rollout of the airline’s new uniform to more than 3,000 customer-facing staff across its network.

Dragonair continuously strives to enhance its products and services in order to meet the ever-changing requirements of the industry and its customers. Dragonair has seen three uniform changes since its establishment in 1985, with the current design being employed for more than 13 years. The airline felt it was timely to update its uniform, offering staff and customers a refreshing new look that is more aligned with its current corporate image and brand positioning.

The new uniforms, designed by renowned Hong Kong designer, Eddie Lau reflects Dragonair’s professional and modern outlook, incorporating the latest fabric technology to ensure the uniform is comfortable and practical to wear on a daily basis.

Beijing will change its doctor, nurse and patient gear across 21 public hospitals by May 15, 2013. The Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals staged a so-called "uniform fashion show" yesterday and announced the new rules on doctor and nurse dress codes.

The rules prescribe for male doctors to dress in light-colored shirts, ties and dark pants. The length of the female doctors' dresses should come no lower than the hem of their white coats.

The new doctor uniforms are cut in a V-shaped waistline with new special medical protective shoes.

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The Egyptian army issued new camouflage uniforms to some of its soldiers, saying that would make it tougher for “infiltrators” to whip up unrest by impersonating troops.

General Osama Askar, head of Egypt’s Third Army in Suez, said the new uniforms were issued in his region after the military received information that gunmen equipped with uniforms and weapons were planning to pose as troops and incite protesters against the army, state-run Ahram Gate reported today. The newspaper did not say why the new uniforms were issued only to soldiers in Suez.

Yesterday, the army said it confiscated cloth waiting to be smuggled into the neighboring Hamas-run Gaza Strip that was identical to material used for military and police uniforms. It urged citizens to be on alert for possible impersonators.

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New cabin crew uniforms have become the latest ignition for Turkey's ever-smouldering debate on religious conservatism in politics.

State-owned Turkish Airlines (THY) was accused of leaning toward conservatism after photos of new sample uniforms were leaked on Twitter. The airline strenuously denies the accusations, saying the photos were of a rejected design.

The leaked images of the cabin crew uniforms led the public, fashion designers, and journalists to voice heavy criticism of the airline and of world famous designer Dilek Hanif for what they saw as conservative and uncomfortable designs.

One photo that showed a stewardess with Ottoman-style long caftans, fez (felt hat), and thick socks was leaked on Twitter by another designer, raising an immediate response on social media.

"Turkish Airlines would like to try something unique that includes both modern and ethnic patterns to better reflect the airline's brand image" said designer Hanif in an interview with The Epoch Times.

"There is a very big misunderstanding. The selecting committee wanted to see the patterns and longer skirts as an option. After seeing it, they agreed that it was not suitable and eliminated it right away. It is unfortunate that picture was leaked on Twitter." Hanif stresses that she has not received any kind of pressure from government or airline's management to design conservative dresses.

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A school is handing out free uniforms to help hard-pressed families beat the recession.

Stockport Academy will kit every new student in their own blazer, tie, jumpers and PE kit, all free of charge, from this September.

Bosses at the high school decided to fork out after hearing from parents about costs of keeping children smartly attired as household budgets were squeezed.

New uniforms will be handed out to all Year Seven students, irrespective of their family income, before they start at the Heathbank Road school, until at least 2016.

The scheme, which will cost the school £12,000, will benefit around 120 students in the first year.

Principal Frank McCarron said the academy was one of only a handful to help families with uniform costs.

He said: “For many parents whose children are making the transition from primary to secondary education, the cost of providing a new uniform can be a worry, particularly in the current economic climate.

“To help with this, we have taken the decision to fund the uniform for those entering the school.”

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