SIA flight attendants to don new closed-toe shoes from January, with iconic sandals to be phased out

The new shoes feature a closed-toe wedge batik design, made from genuine leather with lambskin insoles.

PHOTOS: SOCIAL MEDIA/LIANHE ZAOBAO

Published Oct 08, 2026, 12:06 PM

Updated Oct 08, 2026, 12:06 PM

Singapore Airlines will phase out its iconic open-toed sandals from January 2027 and introduce closed-toe wedge shoes for female cabin crew.

The new shoes were co-designed with PAZZION and SIA staff. They use leather, lambskin insoles and batik details, with a focus on safety, comfort and support.

Female crew will wear the new shoes for all flight phases. Male crew footwear stays the same, and the change follows earlier safety updates after the 2000 SQ006 crash.

SINGAPORE – The iconic Singapore Girl will soon don a new pair of shoes from January 2027, as Singapore Airlines (SIA) prepares to phase out its classic, open-toed sandals.

SIA, in response to queries from The Straits Times, confirmed on Oct 8 that the new footwear for female cabin crew will be introduced progressively.

“This follows a review to enhance safety, comfort and support, while meeting operational requirements,” an SIA spokesperson said.

Photos of the new shoes first surfaced online last week, according to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao.

In collaboration with local footwear brand PAZZION, the new shoes feature a closed-toe wedge design. They are made from genuine leather with thick lambskin insoles for enhanced cushioning, said the SIA spokesperson.

The new shoes were designed in collaboration between Singapore Airlines and Singapore shoe designer brand, PAZZION. PHOTO: SOCIAL MEDIA/LIANHE ZAOBAO

The new shoes were designed in collaboration between Singapore Airlines and Singapore shoe designer brand, PAZZION.

PHOTO: SOCIAL MEDIA/LIANHE ZAOBAO

SIA’s signature batik print is incorporated into the new design, with colour variants matched to the sarong kebayas of each crew’s rank – for example, burgundy for Inflight Managers.

The closed-toe wedge design further enhances safety by protecting flight attendants from spills and falling objects while working in the cabin, said the SIA spokesperson, adding that the airline worked closely with female flight attendants and PAZZION throughout the design process.

“Multiple prototypes were tested on flights before the design was finalised,” the spokesperson said.

The original open-toed sandals, which feature batik accents on the straps and heels, have been an integral part of SIA’s Singapore Girl brand and identity.

Designed by Parisian couturier Pierre Balmain, they are famous for letting the painted red toenails of female flight attendants peek out.

Over the years, few changes have been made to SIA’s sarong kebaya uniform too, which was adapted by Balmain for the airline in 1974 .

Balmain had designed the sarong kebaya for the Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) in 1968, before SIA’s split from MSA.

In 2001, SIA introduced new shoes for female flight attendants to enhance flight safety. This came a few months after the SQ006 crash in Taiwan in October 2000 , which claimed 83 lives.

Also designed by Balmain, the closed-toe slingbacks come with a chrome buckle fixed to the strap at the ankle. The front toecap, made of polyurethane, protects the toes and feet.

At the time, flight attendants involved in the crash had said that the open-toed sandals flew off their feet, leaving them to tread bare-footed through the fiery debris on the tarmac.

An SIA spokesperson had denied then that the new shoes were linked to the crash, saying that the review process for the new footwear began two years prior.

Since then , female flight attendants have been wearing the closed-toe slingbacks during take-off and landing, changing into their usual open-toed sandals during the rest of the flight.

With the latest footwear, they will no longer be required to switch between the two types of shoes. They will now wear the new closed-toe wedge shoes for all flight phases.

SIA said that this shift helps with “improving practicality and consistency”.

The airline added that there will be no changes to the footwear for male cabin crew, who will continue to don black leather shoes in accordance with its existing uniform guidelines.

ST has contacted PAZZION for more information.

Aviation/Aerospace sector

这款新鞋采用闭趾楔形蜡染设计，鞋面采用真皮材质，鞋垫采用羊皮。

图片来源：社交媒体/联合早报

发布于 2026 年 10 月 8 日下午 12:06

更新于2026年10月8日下午12:06

新加坡航空公司将从 2027 年 1 月起逐步淘汰其标志性的露趾凉鞋，并为女性乘务员引入闭趾坡跟鞋。

这款新鞋由 PAZZION 和 SIA 的员工共同设计。鞋面采用皮革，鞋垫为羊皮材质，并饰以蜡染细节，注重安全性、舒适性和支撑性。

女性机组人员将在所有飞行阶段穿着新款飞行鞋。男性机组人员的鞋履保持不变。此次更换是根据2000年SQ006航班坠毁事故后采取的安全措施进行的。

新加坡——从 2027 年 1 月起，标志性的新加坡女孩将穿上一双新鞋，因为新加坡航空公司 (SIA) 准备逐步淘汰其经典的露趾凉鞋。

新加坡航空公司在回应《海峡时报》的询问时于 10 月 8 日证实，将逐步推出新款女乘务员鞋。

新加坡航空公司发言人表示：“此次审查旨在提高安全性、舒适性和支持性，同时满足运营要求。”

据中文日报《联合早报》报道，这款新鞋的照片上周首次在网上曝光。

新加坡航空公司发言人表示，这款新鞋是与本地鞋履品牌PAZZION合作推出的，采用包头坡跟设计，鞋面采用真皮材质，并配有厚实的羊皮鞋垫，以增强缓冲性能。

这款新鞋由新加坡航空公司与新加坡鞋履设计师品牌PAZZION合作设计。图片来源：社交媒体/联合早报

这款新鞋由新加坡航空公司与新加坡鞋履设计师品牌 PAZZION 合作设计。

图片来源：社交媒体/联合早报

新航标志性的蜡染印花被融入到新设计中，颜色变化与每位机组人员的纱笼可巴雅相匹配——例如，机上经理的纱笼可巴雅为勃艮第酒红色。

新加坡航空公司发言人表示，这种封闭式楔形鞋设计进一步提高了安全性，可以保护乘务员在客舱内工作时免受泼溅物和坠落物的伤害。他还补充说，航空公司在整个设计过程中与女性乘务员和 PAZZION 公司密切合作。

发言人表示：“在最终确定设计方案之前，我们对多个原型机进行了飞行测试。”

最初的露趾凉鞋，鞋带和鞋跟上都饰有蜡染图案，一直是新加坡航空“新加坡女孩”品牌和形象不可或缺的一部分。

这些由巴黎时装设计师皮埃尔·巴尔曼设计的连衣裙，因能让空姐涂着红色指甲油的脚趾甲若隐若现而闻名。

多年来，新加坡航空的纱笼卡巴雅制服也几乎没有改变，该制服是 Balmain 于 1974 年为该航空公司设计的。

巴尔曼在 1968 年为马来西亚-新加坡航空公司 (MSA) 设计了纱笼可巴雅，当时新加坡航空公司 (SIA) 尚未从 MSA 分拆出来。

2001年，新加坡航空公司为女性空乘人员推出了新款鞋履，以提高飞行安全。此前几个月，2000年10月，台湾发生了SQ006航班空难，造成83人丧生。

这款同样由 Balmain 设计的露趾凉鞋，脚踝处的绑带上配有镀铬搭扣。鞋头采用聚氨酯材质，能够保护脚趾和脚部。

当时，参与坠机事故的空乘人员表示，她们脚上的露趾凉鞋被甩了出去，导致她们光着脚踩过停机坪上燃烧的碎片。

新加坡航空公司发言人当时否认新鞋与坠机事件有关，称新鞋的审查过程早在两年前就开始了。

从那以后，女空乘人员在起飞和降落时会穿着闭趾凉鞋，在飞行其余时间则换上她们平常穿的露趾凉鞋。

有了这套最新的鞋履，他们就无需再在两种鞋子之间切换了。现在，他们在所有飞行阶段都将穿着新款的包头坡跟鞋。

新加坡航空表示，这一转变有助于“提高实用性和一致性”。

该航空公司还表示，男性乘务员的鞋履不会有任何变化，他们将继续按照现有的制服规定穿着黑色皮鞋。

ST已联系PAZZION以获取更多信息。

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