Clothing: uniform news
Butlins are rumoured to be considering a new uniform design. The first Butlins uniform was designed in 1936 and although there have been six distinct design evolutions since then, one constant has remained: the formal red coat. In 2004, rather than turn to celebrity designers, who have in the past included Zandra Rhodes and Jeff Banks, Butlins joined forces with The British Fashion Council to invite fashion students to create a new Redcoat image. The winning uniform was designed by fashion student Barry Jordan, from the University of Northumbria. Now it is said they may be ready to update their look again.
And gossip also has it that Bruce Oldfield may be designing the new Macdonald’s uniform. Oldfield, who is better known for creating dresses for the likes of Princess Diana, Siena Miller and Jerry Hall has said nothing so far, but if this is true it’s a striking new departure for a man usually dedicated to the glamorous side of fashion. The Sunday Times In Style magazine has reportedly seen the new uniforms which will be unveiled later this year.
Lothian and Borders Police paid £120,000 for new logo – but has it been a good investment? The new design will appear on uniforms, vehicles, posters and stationery over the next few months, replacing a crest that focus groups decided was ‘too obscure’. However, many police officers and politicians have said the exercise is a waste of money. The force paid tens of thousands of pounds to consultants who concluded that the public did not recognise their existing logo – a traditional crest bearing a saltire composed of blue and white checks, so it has invested in a logo which carries the words ‘Lothian and Borders Police’, with a curved design intended to combine the concept of protection and the force’s geographical area. A new motto, work with us, will also be adopted. This too has been criticised as sounding ‘desperate’ rather than confident.
Princess Diana photograph courtesy of Floyd Nello
Add comment February 21st, 2008
