Earth-Friendly Fashion: JetBlue’s Old Uniforms Find New Life as Swanky Bags
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Thinking green while remaining true-blue to its brand identity, JetBlue Airways has announced a partnership with Manhattan Portage – pioneers and manufacturers of the original New York City bicycle messenger bags – to repurpose its former unused uniforms in a limited edition line of unisex bags which will be known as the “JetBlue Uniform Bag collection.”
The totable treasures of airline history will be available starting April 22 (Earth Day) when they go for sale online and at Manhattan Portage stores.
When JetBlue introduced new uniforms for the first time in its history last year, it worked to save old, never worn pieces from landfills – putting overstocks to smart use as carrier bags which can fit our laptops, tablets smartphones along with documents, wallets and oranges (or bananas).
“The Big Apple is the fashion capital. As New York’s Hometown Airline, our new bag collection will give stylish New Yorkers, and those who simply want a piece of JetBlue history, an eco-friendly fashionable option,” says Sophia Mendelsohn, head of sustainability, JetBlue. “When we launched our new uniforms, it was important to us to keep the fabric from the old and unworn uniforms out of landfills by putting them to good use. So, we reached out to Manhattan Portage and put our heads together and came up with a new way to combine fashion and travel with responsibility. JetBlue and Manhattan Portage are based in New York, so we both wanted to have a little fun and showcase our love for our hometown.”
Lauren Hoffman, from Manhattan Portage’s Sales and Marketing department, said, “By incorporating the technical aspects including high visibility reflective prints of the JetBlue ground operations crew member uniform pieces and the aesthetics of the inflight crew uniform pieces such as the signature pilot wings, we were able to come up with a series of durable bags that are as fun and unique as JetBlue.”