The Brief
The British Pullman is one of Britain’s most storied luxury trains. Comprising ten beautifully restored carriages from the 1920s and 1930s, it has long evoked the glamour and romance of rail travel’s golden age. In May 2026, Belmond unveiled Celia — an extraordinary new addition to the train. Housed within an original 1932 Pullman carriage, Celia is an exclusive private dining and events space designed by visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and his wife, Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin.
The design is built around an entirely fictional narrative: Celia, an imagined 1930s West End actress, was gifted her own Pullman car in 1932 following her era-defining performance as Titania in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Every surface of the carriage reflects this story — from panels depicting English pastoral scenes to velvet curtains that divide the space into theatrical “acts”. The palette of deep green, burgundy and pink evokes both London theatre interiors and the English countryside through which the train travels.
Catherine Martin worked exclusively with hand-selected British artisans — including marquetry specialists Dunn & Son, embroiderers Hand and Lock, and Fashionizer — to realise uniforms for the staff serving the carriage, creating a result that feels simultaneously cinematic and intimately personal.
Fashionizer's Uniform Solution
Fashionizer was selected as the specialist uniform partner to translate Catherine Martin’s creative vision into a tailored collection for Celia’s stewards. Rooted in vintage West End theatre and 1930s fashion silhouettes, the brief called for garments that felt period-authentic and quietly theatrical without crossing into costume.
The challenge was to honour the richly detailed world of Celia while creating uniforms that could perform in a luxury hospitality environment, supporting staff comfort, movement and durability aboard a moving train and within a compressed delivery timeline.
Working closely from Catherine Martin’s design concepts, Fashionizer developed a tailored uniform collection that drew on 1930s shapes — structured jackets, defined waistlines and considered detailing — reinterpreted in fabrics selected for their rich, deep colours, durability and breathability. High-waisted trousers, cummerbunds and bow ties complete the look, balancing theatrical elegance with the functional precision required of a working hospitality uniform.
The Outcome
The Celia steward uniforms successfully bridge haute couture inspiration and genuine hospitality performance, ensuring staff present as graceful, assured and wholly in keeping with the theatrical world Luhrmann and Martin have created.
Celia made its maiden voyage in May 2026 with one of the most glittering guest lists the British Pullman has ever welcomed aboard. Co-hosted by Vogue’s Anna Wintour, the launch evening brought together an extraordinary gathering from fashion, film and sport, including Roger Federer and his wife Mirka, Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, Alexa Chung, Simone Ashley and Harry Lambert.
Fashionizer’s garments performed at the heart of the launch experience, worn by the Celia stewards as they served one of the most talked-about luxury hospitality moments of the year and seen by some of the world’s most discerning eyes in fashion and design. As with Fashionizer’s first collaboration with the Belmond train design team on The Britannic Explorer, the Celia project was delivered seamlessly — on time, within budget and to the satisfaction of all involved.
