By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines has chosen the fashion designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, known as HSY, to dress its cabin crew in a new uniform that is due to make its first appearance on a London-to-Islamabad flight on 31 October.
The airline announced the decision on Thursday and showed the collection in Lahore. It described the uniform as part of the transformation of the national carrier under its new management.
PIA was partially privatised in December 2025, when a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group bought a 75 percent stake for PKR 135bn ($482m).
The airline said the uniform was “engineered for long-haul durability and ergonomic movement”, with “soft, breathable fabrics” combined with structured tailoring. Its “lifestyle first” design is meant to balance modern cut, passenger comfort and Pakistani craftsmanship. The airline said the palette and detailing nod to the country’s textile heritage without losing the “polished, functional discipline” that cabin work demands.
Yasin, one of South Asia’s best-known designers, has a red-carpet and international celebrity clientele. In a statement released by PIA, Yasin said designing for the flag carrier was “about capturing our collective pride and the genuine warmth of Pakistani hospitality”. He said he wanted crew to feel “extraordinarily confident and comfortable”, and that the uniforms should “respect our heritage, reflect modern fashion and tell our story beautifully in every airport across the globe”.
He won the commission after a competitive showcase in Karachi, where 10 Pakistani designers presented their concepts. They were Maheen Khan, Deepak and Fahad, Generation, Ismail Farid, Munib Nawaz, Deepak Perwani, Faraz Manan, Amir Adnan, Yasin and Nomi Ansari, whose designs PIA crew have worn for the past 12 years.
The jury included Shamoon Sultan, founder and chief executive of the clothing brand Khaadi, and Nilofer Shahid, the couturier behind House of Meeras. The other members were the style figure Nabila, Hina Tayyaba Khalil, vice-chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design, and Naseem Tehrani, a 33-year PIA veteran.
Yasin joins a line of well-known names to have dressed the airline’s crew. The French designer Pierre Cardin created PIA’s A-line tunic and hood in 1966, which the airline says helped define “aviation chic across the globe”. In the 1970s the carrier turned to Sir Hardy Amies, who was dressmaker to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“Passengers won’t have to wait long to experience the new visual identity,” PIA said. It said the collection would make its “official skyward debut” on 31 October aboard its inaugural Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner service from London to Islamabad.
The timing may need some explaining. PIA signed an agreement with Norse Atlantic earlier this month for two Boeing 787-9s, which are expected to join the airline in November. The deal, which is a wet-lease arrangement, has Norse supplying the aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. PIA did not say on Thursday how its own cabin crew would wear the uniform on that service.
PIA has also said it will increase Islamabad–London Heathrow flights from three to five a week from 27 October, and Lahore–Heathrow from one to two.
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