SINGAPORE \u2013 The iconic Singapore Girl will don a new pair of shoes from January 2027, as Singapore Airlines (SIA) prepares to phase out its classic, open-toed sandals.<\/p>\n
SIA, in response to queries from The Straits Times, confirmed on Oct 8 that the new footwear for female cabin crew will be introduced progressively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis follows a review to enhance safety, comfort and support, while meeting operational requirements,\u201d an SIA spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Photos of the new shoes first surfaced online last week, according to Chinese-language news publication Lianhe Zaobao.<\/p>\n
Designed in collaboration with local footwear brand PAZZION, the new shoes feature a closed-toe wedge design.\u00a0They are made from genuine leather with thick lambskin insoles for enhanced cushioning, said the SIA spokesperson.<\/p>\n Singapore Airlines\u2019 new shoes were designed in collaboration with home-grown footwear brand PAZZION.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SOCIAL MEDIA\/LIANHE ZAOBAO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n SIA\u2019s signature batik print is incorporated into the new design, with colour variants matched to the sarong kebayas worn by crew members of different ranks \u2013 for example, burgundy for inflight managers.<\/p>\n The closed-toe wedge design further enhances safety by protecting flight attendants from spills and falling objects while working in the cabin, said the SIA spokesperson, adding that the airline worked closely with female flight attendants and PAZZION throughout the design process.<\/p>\n \u201cMultiple prototypes were tested on flights before the design was finalised,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n In response to queries, a PAZZION spokesperson said on Oct 9 that the entire process, from the initial development to the final design, took 31 months.<\/p>\n Participating flight attendants went through multiple rounds of fittings, the spokesperson said, with adjustments made along the way to refine the fit, durability, comfort and overall design.<\/p>\n Some features of the new footwear include engineered cushioned insoles for improved support and an enhanced arch cushion to provide greater stability and comfort.<\/p>\n It also has a breathable insole and a padded heel counter for support around the Achilles area.<\/p>\n \u201cEach element was carefully considered to provide the comfort and support needed for long hours of wear, while maintaining a polished silhouette appropriate for the SIA cabin crew,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The original open-toed sandals, which feature batik accents on the straps and heels, have been an integral part of SIA\u2019s Singapore Girl brand and identity.<\/p>\n Designed by Parisian couturier Pierre Balmain, they are famous for letting the painted red toenails of female flight attendants peek out.<\/p>\n Over the years, few changes have been made to SIA\u2019s sarong kebaya uniform, which was adapted by Balmain for the airline in 1974.<\/p>\n Balmain had designed the sarong kebaya for Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) in 1968, before SIA\u2019s split from MSA.<\/p>\n In 2001, SIA introduced new shoes for female flight attendants to enhance flight safety. This came a few months after the SQ006 crash in Taiwan in October 2000, which claimed 83 lives.<\/p>\n Also designed by Balmain, the closed-toe slingbacks come with a chrome buckle fixed to the strap at the ankle. The polyurethane toe cap protects the toes.<\/p>\n At the time, flight attendants involved in the crash had said that the open-toed sandals flew off their feet, leaving them to tread barefoot through the fiery debris on the tarmac.<\/p>\n An SIA spokesperson denied then that the new shoes were linked to the crash, saying that the review process for the new footwear began two years prior.<\/p>\n Since then, female flight attendants have been wearing the closed-toe slingbacks during take-off and landing, changing into their usual open-toed sandals during the rest of the flight.<\/p>\n With the latest footwear, they will no longer be required to switch between the two types of shoes. From January 2027, they will wear the new closed-toe wedge shoes for all flight phases.<\/p>\n SIA said that this shift helps with \u201cimproving practicality and consistency\u201d.<\/p>\n The airline added that there will be no changes to the footwear for male cabin crew, who will continue to don black leather shoes in accordance with its existing uniform guidelines.<\/p>\n A flight attendant, who has been working with SIA for two years, said that she finds the sandals to be one of the highlights of the SIA uniform.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re known for wearing sandals, unlike other airlines that mostly require closed-toe heels for their uniforms,\u201d said the flight attendant, who declined to be named as she is not authorised for media interviews.<\/p>\n However, she said she understands the reasons behind this footwear change, such as having a single pair of shoes rather than two, as well as minimising risk of injuries.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s quite common to have your toes stepped on, or have things fall on you while working,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n She said she has already tried on the new shoes, and added: \u201cI find them comfortable… but I have not worked while wearing them, so I can\u2019t say for certain they\u2019ll be comfortable throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n Though cabin crew have been advised to wear stockings with the new shoes to prevent smelly feet due to the build-up of sweat, the flight attendant pointed out that some may not be used to wearing stockings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 The iconic Singapore Girl will don a new pair of shoes from January 2027, as Singapore Airlines (SIA) prepares to phase out its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
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