• by Tanya Gazdik , November 13, 2017

Delta is partnering with Zappos At Work, a new program from Zappos.com to supply more than 200 shoe options to complete new uniforms at the airline. Lands’ End will manufacture the new uniforms.

The airline's new uniform collection, which combines high fashion with quality and functionality, will be in place companywide on May 29 for more than 60,000 uniformed Delta employees. The airline has started testing the updated look in select markets.

Delta emphasizes its own customer service and, therefore, looks for it when partnering with other brands, said Ekrem Dimbiloglu, director of uniforms.

Zappos is a subsidiary of Amazon.com.

Zappos At Work will provide Delta uniformed employees an exclusive 15% discount on a microsite full of hundreds of uniform-compliant shoe options. Employees will also receive free shipping and free returns.   

New York fashion designer Zac Posen worked with Delta employees to create the exclusive uniform collection which was unveiled one year ago. Since then, more than three months of wear testing the designs and fabrics on 1,000 Delta people has led to more than 165 changes, including darkening the groundspeed graphite color of the men's suit, re-examining the women's blouse design and restructuring the cargo pockets.

"We couldn't be happier about the role Delta people played in getting these uniforms right," Dimbiloglu said. "When we started this journey almost three years ago, we committed to leveraging employee feedback in every aspect of the new uniform program.”

The contemporary purple and gray line will elevate the look of Delta employees, according to the airline.

Delta has said “Passport Plum” is a way to blend the two primary colors in its corporate identity, red and blue, according to travel industry analyst Henry H. Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research Group. The Zappos partnership makes a lot of sense, he says. 

“Shoes are Zappos as books are to Amazon — the founding product that the business was built around, and thus a defining item,” Harteveldt tells Marketing Daily. “Delta has an extensive diversity of employee roles that will wear the new uniforms, so teaming up with Zappos makes sense. The free returns and special employee discounts are both important features.”

Delta’s beloved pink dress, worn each October to raise support for Breast Cancer Research Foundation, isn't going away. A new design from Posen will be joined by five other pink uniform pieces. Customer service agents and flight attendants will have pink options like a V-Neck Dress, female scarf, male and female pocket squares, and men’s ties. Below-wing employees, like technicians and ramp agents, will sport pink hats.