Virgin Voyages certainly wants its crew to stand out. Tradition-breaking uniforms by maverick British fashion designer Gareth Pugh will be the on-board look for the cruise line’s first ship Scarlet Lady, coming in 2020.
The uniforms were unveiled at a London Fashion Week celebration hosted by Virgin Voyages and Gareth Pugh in September at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The evening featured a surprise performance from Christina Aguilera and Sink the Pink – both dressed by Pugh in original designs. Christina Aguilera’s performance included hits Dirty, Ain’t No Other Man, Lady Marmalade, and Candyman, among others.
The collection allows for most crew to have a range of looks to choose from both day and night, and also breaks with cruise traditions by having no epaulettes stripes for officers, no ties and no waistcoats.
Putting a twist on the iconic red high-heel worn by Virgin Atlantic, many of Pugh’s designs will be paired with gender-neutral custom-designed red sneakers made by San Francisco-based PLAE.
“People are at the heart of all of our Virgin companies and when our people feel their best, they help make guest experiences the best they can be,” said Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. “We want Virgin Voyages’ crew to be the happiest at sea and making sure that they feel comfortable and confident is a big part of that experience.”
“For this project, we were really allowed to push the boundaries, and to redefine the idea of what constitutes a uniform. We ultimately wanted to make everything about it modern, luxurious and desirable — to allow the entire crew to look and feel like a million dollars, in keeping with the rest of the experience,” said Gareth Pugh.
Scarlet Lady starts service April 1, 2020 for Caribbean cruises from Port Miami.
