Pierre Cardin, who passed away on Tuesday, was the designer of the Olympic Airways flight attendant uniforms in the glory days of the airline.
The French-Italian fashion designer’s revolutionary styles of the 1960s and the 1970s were a crucial part of the youth explosion of the era, worn by the likes of the Beatles and other international celebrities in the swinging sixties.
Impressed by the modern, stylish clothes of the designer, Greek shipping mogul Aristotle Onassis decided to hire Cardin to design the uniforms for the flight attendants.
Two visionaries join forces
Onassis had bought the financially ailing TAE Greek National Airlines from the Greek state in 1957 and renamed it Olympic Airways. His vision was to make the airline one of the most modern in the world.
Under Onassis’ leadership the airline gained a reputation for lavish style. The cabin crews wore Pierre Cardin-designed uniforms and passengers ate with golden cutlery and listened to a piano player in the first class cabin.
For Greeks, Pierre Cardin’s fashion designs were popularized with the flight attendant suits he designed for Olympic Airways.
The 1960s was known as the jet age and Onassis accordingly upgraded the airline fleet to usher in the new age. He went to Cardin to materialize an important part of that vision.
It was a golden age for both Cardin and Onassis. The two visionaries in their respective fields joined forces to create air travel journeys full of luxury and futuristic style.
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