Not everyone is charmed when Japanese traveller dons SIA’s iconic sarong kebaya on flight, but crew says it’s no problem

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines is known the world over for excellence, and part of the carrier’s branding is the sarong kebaya that the crew wears.

The outfit, adapted in 1974 by famed French designer Pierre Balmain, features a traditional Asian batik as a homage to Singapore’s heritage.

A Japanese traveller who goes by @Travel.saya on Instagram decided to wear the iconic SIA flight attendant’s uniform herself on a recent trip.

Travel.saya posted a photo of herself at the Plaza Premium Lounge at the Sukarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, last month as she was waiting for a flight to Singapore.

Once on board an SIA flight, she took photos with the flight crew and could have passed for one of the attendants, except that her sarong had a higher neckline and she appeared to be wearing trainers rather than leather shoes.

In a video that she posted on Instagram, the SIA staff appeared delighted to see her in her unusual travel outfit, giving her many smiles as she made her way to her seat on the plane.

She received even more smiles from them as she alighted from the plane and showed them the photos she had taken with the crew.

More recently, the traveller posted that she visited the Singapore Airlines booth at the Tourism EXPO Japan in Tokyo last weekend. The booth heads said they had watched the reels of her travelling while wearing the sarong kebaya.

They also told her there was “absolutely no problem boarding dressed” like one of the cabin crew.

Other commenters also appeared to like the look, with one even asking her where she bought it.

“I bought it at Chinatown, Singapore! I found similar clothes in various stores in Chinatown 😊 I negotiated the price and bought them!” she answered.

Others told her how nice she looked and that she blended in with the cabin crew.

There were some commenters on her post who were less charmed, however, telling her that her outfit might cause confusion on board, especially in an emergency.

One Instagram user called it childish and said that others may be making fun of the traveller.

“Also, to be honest, as a Japanese person, I’d like this to stop. Cosplaying (should be) on the ground 🫡,” they added.

Another compared it to a situation in a hospital, where a non-doctor in a white coat would cause confusion. /TISG

Read also: Girl, 5, lives her dream by wearing iconic Singapore Airlines uniform on KL-SG flight, winning the hearts of cabin crew