Project Files: Alaska Airlines Company Store and Uniform Fit Center, Sea-Tac Airport, Seattle

At the center of the new Alaska Airlines headquarters campus at Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport, the Company Store creates a welcoming first impression of the warmth and excitement at the heart of the airlines' brand. The elevated retail experience serves both employees and the public. For personnel of the airlines, the adjacent new Uniform Fit Center transforms what was once a traveling pop-up store into a brick and mortar venue that celebrates the thrill of fitting the uniform, a significant step in an employee’s professional journey.

The entrance to the store is intentionally set at an angle to suggest the airlines’ dynamic. Warm wood, clean lines, and generous natural light from the floor-to-ceiling glass façade emphasize a minimalistic design that showcases a myriad of branded gear. Appealing displays of model airplanes, best sellers, are wall mounted and suspended from a faux skylight. Behind a point-of-sale desk and workstation, a wall of graded blue references the blue sky you might see through an airplane window.

Nearby and lit above double glass doors, the words Land the Look set the pace for a carefully planned narrative that replaces a once mundane fitting process. Guests are greeted at a multipurpose lounge with casual seating. The long awaited new uniform collection by local designer Luly Yang is extensively displayed—a custom wallcovering based on the designer’s sketches can also be seen—inspiring employees to Get Runway Ready and Fit to Fly. 

Taking advantage of the center’s long rectangular space, fittings are done at the runway, a nod to both the platform where models walk and the tarmac for aircraft. Located along a row of fitting rooms, bold directional floor markings, reinforced by parallel lighting and baffles at the ceiling, define the runway and create the perfect opportunity for a memorable selfie.