Which brand do you think has the best designed uniforms?

I always thought the uniforms worn by the cabin crew on GO were great. They were designed by Paul Smith and it made a low budget airline feel pretty darn swish. They would serve Costa coffee and pastries on a Wolf Olins branded plane with Typography by Jeremy Tankard as you were whisked to Venice or Lisbon to take in a bit of culture on a city break. Then they got bought by Easyjet and the uniform was a bright orange fleece.

James Kent, founding partner, KentLyons

Personally I prefer the relaxed approach, where staff wear the clothes they sell. However Mr Porter is an interesting one – the delivery guy arrives in a tailored suit, ensuring a consistency with the online brand experience. The best-designed uniform has to be Virgin Atlantic which creates an iconic statement, a perfect reflection of the brand’s values. Vivienne Westwood designed the most recent version, further adding to the rebellious nature of the brand. Staff are now more than uniformed sales people, they have become brand ambassadors.

Sarah Fairhurst, design director, graphics, Dalziel and Pow

I have to say that I’ve never seen more beautiful uniforms than Studio 104’s at the Beaufort Bar at the Savoy. Production company Veracity did an incredible promo for them – do yourself a favour and watch it here. The effort and skill that went into making these uniforms is incredible, and the video goes a step further in showing off their true beauty. 

Lizzie Mary Cullen, illustrator

Airlines truly recognise the uniform is crucial to branding, nodding back to a golden age of travel with a touch of glamour. Designed to be functional – racing down turbulent narrow isles avoiding the red wine, gravy, coffee and snag-ables with panache; they remain composed, uncreased and unruffled. Best in (first) class is Quantas, dramatically incorporating the iconic red triangle from the branding into a strikingly simple dynamic design with just that reassuring edge of authority.

Bronwen Edwards, creative director, Brandhouse

Their crisp white shirts with ‘Team Pret’ on the reverse are almost iconic in catering circles and boasts a healthy collective pride in the brand, while their name stars and policy of wear your own jeans (albeit very clean ones held up by a purple company belt) adds a subtle hint of individuality, freshness and personal choice which really fits with the overall Pret brand experience. 

Neil Stanhope, founder, Underscore

UPS is chosen for its dependability. In a category that’s all about vibrant whizzyness, UPS’s earthy palette stands out. The identity cues the promise to deliver on time, every time. In support of this the uniform looks practical and comfy, freeing staff to focus on what’s most important – delivering the package. Its familiar elements – hardwearing work shirt and cargo shorts – express the brand’s can-do attitude and hardworking American values. A refreshing example of an identity that communicates product quality above all else.

Edward Hayes, planning director, Bloom

The Playboy Bunny ‘uniforms’ initially sprung to mind for all the wrong reasons, but actually it’s hard to think of a uniform that so simply ties into the brand’s iconic logo and has become a uniform so often copied in mainstream culture as a look associated with sexiness in general.Having done five minutes extensive research into the uniform just now, apparently it was the first service uniform registered in the States with the trademark office, so maybe not one of my silliest answers after all.

Algy Batten, partner, Fivefootsix