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Since November 1952 well-trained and well-dressed tour guides have conducted visitors through the magnificent United Nations headquarters, which were designed by an international cadre of designers—an extension of its mission to promote international peace and understanding. Over the past 73 years these guides, known as United Nations Ambassadors to the Public, have been dressed by talents American, French (courtesy of Thibaut Bouet of Christian Dior), and Italian (through Benetton). Last night, to coincide with Earth Day, the guides’ new kit, designed by 20 pupils at the Swedish School of Textiles, was revealed. It was a history making moment in that it was the first time students were tapped as designers.
The project started with a call to Sofia Hedström de Leo, former head of sustainability at the Swedish consulate and an advisory board member of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network. “The UN wanted me to pick a partner that could deliver a collection tied to the SDGs [sustainability goals]. They also wanted to involve a younger designer. I decided to pick the Swedish School of Textiles based on their history with sustainability; I thought a school would be an interesting option,” she said. “For me it was important to pick a Swedish partner… For me, it is a way to talk about sustainability through a clothing collection, a way to position Sweden.”
Working closely with SST professors Susanne Nejderås, who was the project manager, and Karin Landahl and artistic directors Stephanie Malmgren de Oliveira, the 20 students who took on this task in addition to their course work, visited Backåkra, Sweden, where Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, had his summer house. The trip produced the patterns that appear on silk scarves and the choice of gray for the suiting.
“We wanted to go lighter because they had dark suits for a very long time and we wanted to insert some hope; and then we selected the blues from the sky,” explained de Oliveira. Asymmetric collars and the V-cut of the neckline are references to architectural elements found at the United Nations itself. The uniforms are made of deadstock fabric (Italian wool for the suits), and were manufactured in the EU with the help of Swedish businesses. The side-buttoning, stand-collar T-shirts were produced in Borås, where the university is located.
The guides’ inaugural uniforms—neat tailored get-ups—were, according to UN press materials, “inspired by what flight attendants wore in the 1940s and 1950s. It was a look befitting a world that had concluded a global military conflict less than a decade before.” Evan Picone’s Frank Smith, who designed stewardess uniforms for Pan Am Airlines, was responsible for bringing a more casual touch to UN tours in the form of vests, which guides wore from 1969 through 1977, which was when legendary Hollywood costume designer Edith Head cleaned things up with Chanel-esque suits. The first male guides were outfitted by Brooks Brothers.
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The SST students have come up with a suit jacket, pants, and wrap skirt, button-down shirt, T-shirt, scarves, and a cotton dress with a triple waist for adaptability. The sizing is in line with new EU regulations and the pieces are adjustable.
On hand to witness the uniform reveal was Ellen Hodakova Larsson, winner of the 2024 LVMH Prize and a 2019 SST graduate. Main support for the project came from Paul Frankenius, a longtime SST board member, through his namesake foundation, with an additional contribution from the Swedish government. “At Swedish School of Textile the quality of the research and education is world class,” Frankenius said. “What we need to do better is to communicate and expose our excellence in a global context,” he said. “The new UN tour guide collection is a perfect example of this. We are giving our young talents a platform to come together to create something that is intentional, innovative, and that will matter to many over time.”
