Having Conquered the Earth, Luxury Labels Take the Sky
When flying Air France’s La Première first-class cabin, you get your own suite, a menu formulated by a Michelin-starred chef, and a 32-inch 4K screen. And to enjoy all these delightful amenities, you get a personal pair of Jacquemus pajamas.
The French fashion house has created an exclusive range of blue cotton pajamas for Air France, available only to those fortunate enough to fly Air France’s premium first-class experience (where one-way tickets regularly sit at the five-figure mark).
It’s a nice touch: Luxurious pajamas made by a pioneering French fashion designer are certainly something I’ve never been offered while squished shoulder-to-shoulder in economy class.
And the grosgrain ribbon-embroidered navy long-sleeve is the type of casual, classic Jacquemus-flavored top I could imagine wearing beyond just nap time in first class.
But for all its measured design and inventive packaging, these Jacquemus pajamas have competition.
Suddenly, there’s rising demand for airlines to offer designer sleepwear to their top-tier clientele.
Since early last year, those flying first or business class with the UAE's Etihad airline have left the plane with Giorgio Armani PJs.
Whereas Jacquemus' Air France PJs are semi-surreal — dare I say quite dreamlike — Armani's Etihad pajamas are minimal, tasteful, and lean towards sleepwear's more formal side, as you might expect from Mr. Armani.
My personal favorite comes from Lufthansa. The German airline has called on the services of Scandinavian sleepwear experts Tekla.
Featuring a blue and white gradient color scheme by Japanese contemporary artist Sho Shibuya, the Tekla for Lufthansa shirt and pants set combine to create a wearable artwork inspired by the colors of the sky.
This is, even by Tekla’s high standards, a beautiful piece of sleepwear.
Now, I’m not going to pretend like I fly first class but I can appreciate some good-looking pajamas when I see them.
It's just odd that the best-in-class sleepwear offerings are coming from, of all places, airlines.
