On 27 September 2023, Air France exclusively unveiled its twelve-window-display exhibition at the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann where it is celebrating 90 years of elegance. From 28 September to 10 October 2023, the company will be showcasing its heritage as part of its anniversary celebrations at the Parisian department store.
In 2023, Air France is celebrating 90 years of elegance. 90 years of technology, innovation and comfort on board its aircraft. 90 years of travel, fine dining, design, haute couture, art and architecture. Since its creation on 7 October 1933, the company has been celebrating French excellence, a “je-ne-sais-quoi” that the world recognizes in France, thanks to an exceptional travel experience that takes elegance to new heights.
To embody and bring to life 90 years of elegance, Air France is unveiling a collection of five iconic dresses created by Xavier Ronze, French designer and head of the costume design workshops at the Paris Opera Ballet. Each dress interprets the different hallmarks of the airline – aircraft and technology, uniforms and fashion, emblematic posters promoting its vast network; fine dining and tableware; design and architecture. These original dresses are made from items that have marked the company’s history and contemporary pieces, in this way connecting history and modernity, a strong interpretation symbolizing the best of Air France and the best that France has to offer in its areas of expertise.
Air France has naturally chosen the Galeries Lafayette, a temple of fashion in the heart of Paris, to showcase this original dress collection as part of its anniversary celebrations. From 28 September to 10 October 2023, it is retracing its legendary history and high-flying elegance in an aim to go forward and embrace the future in the windows of the famous store. The dresses are displayed among a selection of some of the finest Air France heritage items and the best of the airline’s current offer, to highlight 90 years of legendary aircraft, in-flight comfort, designer uniforms, in-flight dining and design.
In the heart of Paris, Air France has made an innovative choice for showcasing its heritage in a way that is freely and easily accessible to all French and international visitors. Visitors will be able to relive their fondest memories of travelling with Air France or become part of the legend for the first time.
To ensure maximum exposure of the company’s exhibition for everyone, wherever they are in the world, the company has created a new immersive website, available in French and English, enabling visitors to explore and learn more about the themes of the window displays. A unique opportunity to look back at the history of Air France and its legacy. Visit the website 90ans.airfrance.com for an immersive tour through 90 years of elegance.
90 years of elegance, the video
To celebrate its 90th anniversary with the whole world and showcase its unique expertise, Air France is also bringing out an anniversary video. The video features models wearing the collection of designer dresses created by Xavier Ronze in a spectacular setting, in behind-the-scenes locations at Air France. From the airline’s huge aircraft hangars to the wings of an Airbus A220, the jewel of its medium-haul fleet, the dresses take centre stage among modern-day and vintage Air France heritage items that have inspired them.
Directed by Killian Lassablière, in collaboration with the Aura by Omnicom agency, this original video blends grandiose sets with archive images and sound, set to an original score by composer Axel Guenoun. This original video showcases Air France’s legendary heritage and the best of its current offer, in a singularly elegant approach. The video will be screened from 28 September in the windows of the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, online and at various Air France locations, and will also be visible to the airline’s customers in its airport lounges and on board its aircraft.
A special edition of EnVols
From 28 September, EnVols, Air France’s media platform, will be offering its readers a special edition dedicated to the company’s 90th anniversary. This special bilingual issue in French and English is a new way of exploring the airline’s history and going behind the scenes of the unique dresses designed by Xavier Ronze. It will also offer a chance to explore the airline’s uniforms with Olivier Rousteing, Artistic Director of Balmain, and to share the secrets of triple Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic, who regularly creates the menus offered in the La Première and Business cabins.
This special supplement can be found at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann and inside the October/November issue of EnVols magazine, in the Air France lounges at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly and in boarding lounges.
Become part of the legend
Inside Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, the company is opening pop-up stores offering a range of items specially created or reissued for this anniversary. With limited-edition models of old and new aircraft, a special 90th anniversary collection as well as new collaborations with top French brands, click here to find out more.
Throughout this anniversary period, Air France is offering visitors the chance to attend real fashion shows retracing 90 years of French elegance, together with Galeries Lafayette. Models dressed in the uniforms of pilots, cabin crew, airport staff and mechanics will be on show in a dedicated area of the store to retrace the company’s legendary uniform heritage, past and present.
Air France, 90 years of elegance
Created from the merger of Air Orient, Air Union, Société Générale de Transports Aériens, the Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne and Aéropostale, Air France was officially inaugurated on 7th October 1933. Ever since, the company has continued to create its legend by promoting the French art of travel around the world. Air France today offers its customers close to 1,000 daily flights to 200 destinations with a fleet of more than 240 aircraft.
About Air France
Since 1933, Air France has been promoting and highlighting France throughout the world. With an activity divided between passenger transport, cargo transport and aeronautical maintenance, Air France is a major air transport player. More than 38,000 staff that make up its workforce are committed on a daily basis to offering each customer a unique travel experience.
Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Transavia make up the Air France-KLM Group. The Group relies on its powerful hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol to offer a vast international network. Its Flying Blue frequent flyer programme has over 17 million members. Air France and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance which has a total of 18 member airlines.
Air France has set itself ambitious sustainable development targets and is working to reduce and support projects that absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere in natural carbon sinks. As part of the Air France ACT programme, the company is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions per passenger-km by 30% vs 2019, meaning -12% absolute CO2 emissions. This ambition is supported by major investments to renew its fleet with new-generation more fuel-efficient aircraft, the development of use of miore Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or the generalisation of eco-piloting.