Vogue: How much creative freedom will you have?
If you look through Qantas uniforms of the past, each designer made their mark. Each uniform reflected its era, from the 1920s onwards. I’ll keep it true to Qantas, but do it in my own way. Martin Grant did a fantastic job; his uniform lasted 10-15 years. I hope mine will too, but in my own way. It needs to be timeless, something that looks good on everyone. Even in my mainline collections, I aim for timelessness.
Vogue: To what extent does your experience with your own label help here?
We do beautiful tailoring and dresses, but I’m a stickler for comfort. Everything has to feel good. I try every piece on myself in fittings, which drives the team crazy! For uniforms, which are worn for such long hours, comfort is even more important. I’ll be developing the fabrics from scratch.
Vogue: Why do you think airlines bring in fashion designers rather than workwear suppliers?
For premium airlines, it’s about the whole experience: service, meals, uniforms. The second you walk into check-in and see the staff, it’s part of the luxury journey. And with 17,500 employees, you can’t get it wrong — so design expertise is essential.
Vogue: How are you thinking about sustainability?
It was part of the pitching process. There are a lot of things that I want to do with it, but I have to get into [the job] first. It’s so important — not only in terms of the design process with the fabrics I use, but also what happens to the uniforms at the end of their life. I have an idea for how to repurpose them at the end, but I can’t say more yet.
Vogue: What else is happening with your brand?
We’re opening our 10th store in two weeks, and we’ll be at 11 by October. We’re also launching a modest dressing capsule in December — the Middle East is a huge growth market. Global expansion is a key priority: Australia is 35 per cent of our business; international is 65 per cent. The visibility that comes with designing for Qantas can only help.
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