Korean Air is undergoing significant changes (including a full rebranding), following its takeover of Asiana. The airline is trying to become more premium, and in particular, to appeal more to foreign guests. We’re seeing Korean Air greatly improve its lounges, reconfigure existing planes, introduce a new first class, and more.
Along those lines, the carrier has just announced a new premium collaboration, which guests traveling in the carrier’s business class (marketed as Prestige Class) should notice.
Korean Air partners with Armani / Casa on tableware
Korean Air has just announced an upgraded tableware collection, in collaboration with Italian luxury brand Armani / Casa. As it’s described, “the partnership highlights the airline’s commitment to delivering sophistication and elegance at every touchpoint of the journey,” and the new tableware range “exemplifies contemporary elegance with timeless appeal.”
At the heart of this collaboration is the Nidi range (“Nidi” is the Italian word for “nest”), which is the suite of tableware designed by Armani / Casa for Korean Air’s business class guests:
The collection features an interplay of rectangular plates and tapered round bowls, creating visual intrigue while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic. A distinctive feature of the collection is the “bamboo” detail—a subtle linear design element which has frequently featured in Armani/Casa’s work. Bamboo is a symbol of strength, resilience and longevity since it survives in the harshest conditions, still standing tall and remaining green year-round.
Beyond aesthetics, the Nidi range is thoughtfully engineered for functionality. The compact forms optimize onboard dining spaces while ensuring efficient storage, striking the perfect balance between elegance and practicality.
I’m happy to see this product investment, but…
I’m delighted to see the direction that Korean Air is headed, as clearly the airline is investing in its passenger experience, and it’s doing so quickly. Korean Air’s old tableware was just plain boring, so this is a nice way for the airline to elevate the business class experience (hopefully along with other changes).
Korean Air is the second major airline to collaborate with Armani / Casa, as Etihad launched a similar partnership in early 2023. However, Etihad’s partnership was much more extensive, and also included new bedding from Armani Casa, while the Korean Air partnership only includes tableware.
That brings me to what kind of disappoints me — am I the only one who thinks the actual tableware that’s part of this collaboration is kind of boring? I mean, I like the bowls quite a bit, and find them to be visually interesting, but everything else looks kind of boring, no? Actually, it kind of looks like your typical airplane tableware, just with the Armani / Casa logo stamped on it.
For example, below is Etihad’s Armani / Casa tableware. Isn’t this all much prettier? Even just look at the glasses — I understand Korean Air’s little miniature wine glasses are better in terms of galley storage, but that kind of takes away from the experience. Doesn’t the “casa” in Armani / Casa stand for “home?” Hopefully no one is drinking wine at home out of airplane wine glasses! 😉
So if you ask me, some improvements are better than no improvements, but I think this Armani / Casa collaboration is a bit underwhelming compared to the Etihad one. However, everyone has different tastes, so maybe I’m in the minority.
Bottom line
Korean Air is partnering with Armani / Casa on its business class tableware, which is a cool collaboration for an airline that’s trying to become more competitive. I’m happy to see the airline incorporating more premium brands into its product, and this looks like an improvement.
However, I can’t say that I’m blown away by the Armani / Casa collection that Korean Air has selected, especially in comparison to Etihad. But maybe that’s just me…
What do you make of Korean Air collaborating with Armani / Casa?
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