Cliff Muskiet the uniform freak!!!
- Marie Florian
- Apr 28, 2015
- 5 min read
Cliff Muskiet a purser flight attendant from KLM as his web page says he is a Freak Aviation lover, and he has a very special passion: collecting uniforms from different airlines, right now he has around 1000 uniforms !! You can check them up in uniformfreak.com.
Recognized media such as the CNN and The Guardian have had the opportunity to talk about it with him, now he concedes it to us! Thanks Cliff and welcome to Flight attendant News, it is a pleasure we can talk to you about the great collection you have been building through all of this time!
1. What was the first and last uniform in your collection?
My first uniform was a KLM uniform that was used between 1971 - 1975. It was given to me by a colleague nurse of my mother. The uniform was given to me in 1980 and it is the reason why I started to collect stewardess uniforms! My last uniform was a dress that was used by several airlines that are part of the TUI group: Arkefly and JetairFly. It is a simple dark blue dress with beige lines on the front and backside of the dress.
2. What was the most difficult uniform to find or get?
JAL Japan Airlines uniform - worn 1977 - 1987 - was very difficult to find because it is very difficult to get uniform from airlines in Japan. Security is very strict in Japan and it makes it almost impossible to obtain any airline uniforms.
I had been looking for the 1977 Japan Airlines uniform for a very long time and dreamed about having this uniform in my collection, but never was able to find it. A year ago I received an email from a lady in Japan who still had her old JAL uniform that she wanted to donate. I was so happy and excited. I requested a flight to Tokyo to meet her and to pick up the uniform, but when I arrived at the airport I suddenly got a schedule change. In stead of going to Tokyo I had to go to Mexico! I was so upset because I was looking forward to receiving the JAL uniform. Thank God, one of my KLM colleagues who was flying to Tokyo was willing to meet the lady in and bring the JAL uniform to Amsterdam. We exchanged email addresses and kept in touch while I was in Mexico and she in Tokyo. When I received an email from my KLM colleagues that the got the JAL uniform, I was so relieved and happy. The JAL uniform arrived safely in Amsterdam and has been a part of my collection since then. I love it, especially the hat.
3. Do you have any favorites?
I love uniform from the late 1960 and 1970s. Love the style, colors, psychedelic prints and different accessories from that decade. Uniform were very colorful and there were many different items to choose from. Love the big pointy collars of the blouses and the short mini skirts and dresses. Everything was possible: flower prints, dots, stripes and many color combinations: purple, blue, orange, red, yellow, green, white.
If I had to name some favorite from my collection:
Iberia 1972 - 1977 United 1968 - 1970 Pan Am 1969 - 1975 KLM 1975 - 1982
If I had to name some favorite uniforms that I DON'T have:
Alia Royal Jordanian 1980s Air France 1970s Aeroflot current uniform Qantas 1970s Thai Airways 1970s and 1980s
4. How many uniforms do you have at this moment?
At the moment I have 1294 different uniform from 480 different airlines in the world
5. Where do you keep them?
I keep all my uniforms with me at home. Most of the uniforms are stowed in plastic boxes and some are in closets.
6. Do you have any special anecdote when you have received uniforms or items for your collection ?
I once did a flight to Hongkong and stayed there for two days. On my free day I flew to Manila to go "uniform hunting”. I took my portfolio with me, my portfolio contains many newspaper and magazine articles about my collection. When I arrived at the Airphil Express office I met a very nice friendly lady. After I told her who I was and showed her my portfolio, she asked me: „are you the guy from the website uniformfreak.com”? I was surprised she knew my website and told her: „now you know why I am here for”? She had to laugh and gave me a uniform! My mission was completed
7. If you had the opportunity to design a cabin crew uniform, what special features and items you would take into account?
Definitely a hat. A hat is like the icing on the cake and it is a special item that makes a uniform look complete and stand out in the crowd. Also a scarf. An airline uniform without a scarf is not an airline uniform, I think.
I love color so I would use nice colors. I am not a fan of dark blue uniform and white blouses. Too many airlines use this dark blue for the jackets and skirts and it is so boring. White blouses are boring too. I like a blouse to have a print, at least.
8. Do you observe any difference or any special trend in the uniforms from different parts of the world? Such as Middle East, North America, South America, Europe?
Skirts are usually shorter in Latin America than in Middle East countries and other countries. Some airlines add a little national identity to their uniform, like the Far East airlines: Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. They use Sarong Kebaya’s, a long skirt with a top.
In the Middle East some airlines use a hat with veil, like Gulfair and Emirates. These airlines use the veil as a nice accessory, it is more like a touch of national identity, but in some counties like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Brunei it is mandatory (religious reasons) for the stewardesses to wear a headscarf.
Some airlines in Africa had/have tiger printed blouses, a nice touch of African identity.
Some airlines in the Pacific, like Air Tahiti Nui, wear beautiful long Tahiti dresses with flower print on board and ….. a little flower in the hair.
9. Switching a little bit the topic and talking about aviation from all your experience what do you think about the transition that aviation has had during this years in terms of glamour and service on board?
Things have really changed in life and so have things in the airline industry. Flying is not as expensive as it used to be 20 or 30 years ago so now everyone can fly. Today there are more choices: full service airlines and low-cost airlines. The competition is tough. New are the low-cost carriers in many countries around the world and the Middle East airlines that are growing because they get money from the state (Qatar, Etihad and Emirates) and who are able to offer cheaper tickets and/or more service for less money.
The glamour is gone when you compare "todays life” with the "good old days” when flying was really something special. Flight attendants works really hard and have to deal with lots of things: time differences, working nights, angry/upset passengers. Today we have more passengers on board than 30 years ago and airplanes are much bigger! Flight attendants make long days, fly between 12 - 16 hours sometimes. Passengers are more demanding today and they want to pay a little money for more service and that is not possible. Airlines are trying to save money and this influences the inflight service too. If the airlines don’t save money, the will file for bankruptcy.
10. Describe in one phrase the importance of a very well designed cabin crew uniform.
The uniform should make people turn their heads and say „WOW”!
We really appreciate you have shared with us all your experiences, opinions, and anecdotes, we wish you the best flights and the best moments on board!
Flight Attendants team!
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