Air France hands its uniforms to Armor-Lux: 400,000 pieces a year, same Christian Lacroix look

The next Air France uniform you see may have been made in Brittany. Armor-Lux, the clothing group based in Quimper, has won a five-year contract to make and supply uniforms for the staff of Air France, Hop! and Transavia, according to an exclusive report published Friday by the regional daily Le Télégramme.

"From next summer, when you see an Air France flight attendant, she will be dressed by Armor-Lux," Armor-Lux boss Jean-Guy Le Floch told the paper. "We are very proud to have signed this contract, which recognizes our know-how in workwear."

Lounge Frog did not find a statement from Air France on the contract by the time of publishing. The details below come from Le Télégramme's report and Le Floch's comments to the paper.

The look stays Christian Lacroix

If you were hoping for a new look, this isn't it. According to Le Télégramme, the design by couturier Christian Lacroix stays unchanged. Armor-Lux is taking over the manufacturing and supply, not the design.

Lacroix created the current Air France wardrobe in 2005, a collection of about a hundred pieces that can be mixed and matched, according to Air France's own history of its uniforms. Earlier Air France uniforms came from houses including Dior, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci and Carven.

What the contract covers

Here is what Le Télégramme reported:

• Who gets dressed: about 34,000 employees of the Air France group in France and abroad. That includes flight crew, ground staff and technical staff.
• What gets made: suits, dresses, kepis, ties, scarves and shoes. In total, close to 400,000 pieces a year.
• How long: five years.
• When: the Quimper design office is already working on prototypes, with production set to start in early January. The first 400,000 pieces must be delivered by July 2027.
• How much: the value of the contract is confidential. Le Floch said it is one of the biggest in Armor-Lux's workwear business: "It is equivalent to the SNCF and La Poste contracts."

Made in Brittany? Partly

Don't expect every Air France scarf to be stitched in Quimper. Because of the volumes, the vast majority of the uniforms will be made in Europe and North Africa, Le Télégramme reported. Several pieces will be "made in Brittany," and all the logistics will stay in Quimper. The main fabric, a polyester and wool blend, will also come from Europe.

Le Floch thinks the European supply chain is what won the deal. "Being able to offer a French or European T-shirt made the difference in the tender, I think," he told the paper.

To handle the order, Armor-Lux plans to hire about 10 managers and about 10 logistics workers. A 3,000-square-meter warehouse in Quimper, about 32,000 square feet, will be dedicated to Air France, handling receiving, storage and shipping.

Who is Armor-Lux?

Armor-Lux, founded in Quimper in 1938, is known for its sailor-style clothing, but uniforms are now a huge part of the business. According to Le Télégramme, workwear accounts for 50% of the company's revenue, with contracts for SNCF, La Poste, Carrefour and Castorama. That steady income helps fund its consumer fashion lines.

Why it matters to flyers

For passengers, nothing visible changes. The navy suits, the red accents and the Lacroix silhouette stay. But it is a notable choice for an airline that sells itself on French elegance. Air France was named World's Best First Class at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards in September, and it keeps investing in its lounges, from a new lounge at JFK's New Terminal One to a redesigned La Première lounge in Paris. Having its crew outfitted by a French company fits that story.

The news picked up quickly on French aviation X. A post from @AeroGazette citing Le Télégramme drew more than 360 likes and about 16,800 views.