Chinese couriers’ uniform wins gold at French Design Awards in France — ECNS
In Paris, France, the Taobao Flash City Knight uniform, created for food delivery couriers in China, won a gold award at the French Design Awards 2026. As ECNS reports, the organizers called it the first time this distinction had been awarded to a uniform designed for frontline workers.
Professional identity
The jury recognized the design for giving food delivery couriers a distinct professional identity. Designer Yang Tao said that the project’s main goal was to give workers a greater sense of dignity and professional belonging.
According to him, the courier profession still faces stereotypes, although uniforms have long been a symbol of professional identity in other fields of work. Yang Tao compared couriers to chefs and flight attendants, for whom specialized workwear is created, and stressed that uniforms should be designed with the needs of those who wear them in mind.
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Jack Ma’s involvement
The designer also said that Alibaba founder Jack Ma was involved in developing the uniform. According to Yang Tao, Ma regularly took an interest in the progress of the work, offered ideas, and participated in fittings and fabric testing.
Yang Tao noted that France was one of the centers where the culture of workwear for manual occupations was formed. In China, this uniform, in his assessment, helped millions of couriers become part of a new “orange-collar” workforce and contributed to the emergence of a new work culture.
