DALLAS, Apr 4, 2005/ FW/ --- In fashion lingo, the runway is synonymous with catwalk. And tomorrow, airport runways literally turn into catwalks as 36,000 flight crew and ground personnel of Air France don their new uniforms designed by Christian Lacroix.

Commissioned during the latter part of 2002 to design the next generation Air France uniforms, with the mandate: “create a style that expresses the identity of Air France, go beyond passing fashion and combine the functional with the pleasurable.”

The task: “Designing and executing an entire wardrobe for 36,000 men and women that will allow each person to develop a distinctive wardrobe to suit his or her personality, morphology and profession.”

To accomplish this gargantuan undertaking, Christian Lacroix dedicated a whole design team, including himself, logging thousand of air miles that included trans-Atlantic flights and short hauls to propose an airline crew wear that “allies Parisian chic with a touch of originality, a wardrobe that is both discreet and refined.”

"To some extent, Air France and high fashion belong to the same world, which has to reconcile traditions and technologies, and whose aim is to project and perpetuate the French style of gracious living," commented Christian Lacroix about his work for Air France.

Going beyond just designing a uniform, Christian Lacroix went on to design an entire wardrobe for France’s flag-carrier airline personnel, creating some 100 individual items, a complete collection that starts from gloves, shoes, bob hats, coats and dresses, including scarves.

Sticking to a fitted, yet comfortable and easy-to-wear silhouette, Christian Lacroix combined the “Air France epaulette” with a Chinese-style upward fillip in women’s jackets while visually emphasizing the waist the shoulders.

He also created an original print for the female staff, “inspired by the seahorse ‘uncurled’ and accompanied by a lacy motif, typical both of his label and couture brand.”

Opting for Air France’s corporate color of navy blue, the grand couturier also added blue-gray to symbolize the sky and touches of red, used mostly in accessories to connote vitality.

With the unveiling tomorrow of this new set of uniforms, Christian Lacroix assures himself a place in Air France history wherein design greats like him in the persons of Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga, Nina Ricci and André Courrèges have designed Air France uniforms in the past 50 years.

"The choice of Christian Lacroix clearly demonstrates Air France's desire to return to its traditions of collaboration with a great fashion designer,” said Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Chairman and CEO of Air France about Christian Lacroix.

“This choice also proves the central importance of the Air France workforce in the Company's corporate strategy, and how much we care about pleasing our 42 million passengers each year, most of whom are international travelers,” he added.

With a fleet of 375 aircraft and over 1,800 daily flights, Air France moves over 43.7 million passengers in 189 destinations in 84 countries.

For more information about Air France and their flight destinations, please log on: www.airfrance.com

To find out more about Christian Lacroix and his designs, please log on: www.christianlacroix.fr

Air France Uniform

Air France Uniform

Air France Uniform

Air France Uniform

Air France Uniform

Air France Uniform