On October 7, 2023, Air France will celebrate its 90th birthday. She will present to Galeries Lafayettethe Parisian fashion department store, a collection of five iconic dresses embodying hislegend of elegance“, as well as uniforms and objects specially created or reissued for this event.
To embody and give life to “90 years of elegance“, Air France will unveil a collection of five iconic dresses interpreting the different strengths of the airline: planes and technology; uniforms and fashion; his emblematic posters promoting his vast network; gastronomy and tableware; design and architecture. “Each dress is a journey through these themes which have allowed Air France to always offer the best of its time, even to be a pioneer, ahead of its time“, announces the French airline.
To imagine and design these unique dresses, she called on Xavier Ronze, head of the costume workshops for the Paris National Opera ballet. The latter created these creations using elements from the company’s heritage and current pieces. It thus offers a link between history and modernity, a strong interpretation, embodying the best of Air France, the best of France in exceptional areas.
In order to unveil this collection of unique dresses, it is in twelve Galeries Lafayette windows that Air France will exhibit on the occasion of its anniversary, from September 28 to October 10, 2023. The five dresses will be accompanied by the most beautiful heritage pieces and the best of today’s French company, “to highlight 90 years of on-board comfort, legendary planes, designer uniforms, or even on-board gastronomy and design“.
Inside Galeries Lafayette, pop-up stores will offer a range of objects specially created or reissued for this anniversary: models of old or current planes, as well as a collection bearing the “90 years” logo of kits, cards postal items or even luggage tags and notebooks, as well as fashion accessories in collaboration with Vanessa Bruno, Delsey, Bernardaud, Brun de Vian-Tiran and Le Umbrella de Cherbourg. For its 90th anniversary, Air France will also reissue legendary objects such as its famous vintage travel bag or its iconic posters. A range can also be found on Air France Shopping.
And for the first time in its history, Air France will offer visitors the opportunity to purchase original tableware signed by the painter Jean Picart Le Doux and available on board its La Première and Business cabins from 1966 to the 2000s. Profits from the sale of this service will be entirely donated to the Air France Foundation, which has been committed to serving children around the world for 30 years.
Throughout this anniversary period, the French company will organize real fashion shows at Galeries Lafayette retracing 90 years of French elegance. Models dressed in the uniforms of pilots, cabin crew, airport staff or mechanics will parade in a dedicated area of the department store to retrace the entire clothing heritage of the company, from yesterday to today. From the very first “bartender” outfits to very couture pieces signed by the greatest couturiers such as Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga or Christian Lacroix in particular, the parade is designed as a unique immersion through the styles of the different founding eras of Air France . Information and reservations on the Galeries Lafayette website.
