April 30, 2015 – Last year, when JetBlue introduced a new uniform design for the first time in its history, it found it had a lot of old, never worn garments piled up. Rather than send these uniforms to landfill, JetBlue has instead partnered with Manhattan Portage, a brand of New York City bicycle messenger bags, to launch a fashionable unisex bags made from these surplus garments.
“When we launched our new uniforms, it was important to us to keep the fabric from the old and unworn uniforms out of landfills by putting them to good use. So, we reached out to Manhattan Portage and put our heads together and came up with a new way to combine fashion and travel with responsibility. JetBlue and Manhattan Portage are based in New York, so we both wanted to have a little fun and showcase our love for our hometown,” said Sophia Mendelsohn, head of sustainability at JetBlue.
Lauren Hoffman from Manhattan Portage’s sales and marketing department, added, “By incorporating the technical aspects including the high-visibility reflective prints of the JetBlue ground operations crewmember uniform pieces and the aesthetics of the inflight crew uniform pieces such as the signature pilot wings, we were able to come up with a series of durable bags that are as fun and unique as JetBlue.”
But what of the worn uniforms? JetBlue has donated more than 18.5 tons of wornuniforms, clothing and fabric to several non-profit partners including Planet Aid, a non-profit organization that collects and recycles worn clothing and shoes, and Loomstate, an end-to-end sustainable fashion house. Planet Aid is selling the clothing, with the proceeds supporting health, agricultural, educational, and environmental programs in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.
If you’re looking for a gift for the #avgeek in your life, you can shop the new bag collection at www.manhattanportage.com/catalog/JetBlue.php
To view a video on the creation of this new JetBlue/Manhattan Portage Accessory collection, CLICK HERE
