Delta Air Lines is Bringing Back its Retro Wrap Dress After Abandoning New Uniform Designed By The Gap

Delta Air Lines is to bring back a much-loved retro wrap dress after the carrier abandoned a new uniform designed by The Gap, which has been in the works since 2022, the carrier told staffers on Thursday.

The Atlanta-based airline revealed the first look of a new prototype uniform last March, but the designs received what can best be described as a lukewarm response. Within months, the airline said it was rethinking some of the pieces over fears that they could impede an emergency evacuation.

Safety concerns over some of the designs meant that Delta was quickly forced to ditch three signature dress options from its prototype lineup that had been likened to what characters wore in the Emmy award-winning show The Handmaid’s Tale, including a flare dress, a draped dress, and an asymmetrical dress with layers of pleats.

Now, the airline says that after listening to employee feedback on the Gap Inc. designs, it will start over and rework current and past uniform pieces in classic Delta colors like deep navy blues and rich burgundy.

Delta intends to retain an existing v-neck and winged dress but rework the fabrics in blue and red colorways. The airline also plans to bring back its iconic wrap dress, which was worn prior to 2018 when an ill-fated Zon Posen-designed uniform was rolled out.

In 2023, Delta dropped the controversial ‘passport plum’ color from its uniforms as it distanced itself from the Zac Posen uniform era, which was defined by multiple lawsuits alleging that toxic chemicals in the garments had caused horrendous injuries to some workers.

At the height of the scandal, nearly half of the carrier’s flight attendants were wearing their own clothes to work, rather than the official uniform, to avoid reactions to the garments.

Even though Delta is dropping The Gap-designed prototypes, the airline still plans to use OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100-certified fabrics. A timeline for the reworked Delta uniform, however, is yet to be revealed, although the airline plans to carry out extensive wear tests before it is rolled out to more than 70,000 frontline workers.