Perhaps Hainan’s modern cape design was inspired by the uniforms worn by Boeing Air Transport’s first female flight attendants. Back in 1930, Ellen Church, a 25-year-old registered pilot, became the world’s first female stewardess, hired by BAT who refused to recruit her as a pilot at the time.
The heavy green cape and beret were meant to keep to keep flight attendants warm during the pit stops as planes needed to make more frequent landings to refuel.
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This article was originally published by Telegraph.co.uk. Read the original article here.