Navy Awards Blue Angels Suit Contract to Large Firm, Ending 40-Year Tie With Tailor
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14
Navy Awards Blue Angels Suit Contract to Large Firm, Ending 40-Year Tie With Tailor
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14
Summary
Nearly 40 years after Jellie “Candy” Whitehurst began making the Blue Angels’ blue-and-yellow flight suits, the Navy shifted the contract last month to a larger Virginia defense contractor.
Whitehurst said she learned of the change only after contacting the team to arrange new measurements, calling the loss devastating and saying she had not been told other bids were being sought.
Cmdr. Amber Lewis, a spokeswoman for Navy Supply Systems Command, said Whitehurst had told the Blue Angels in January that she intended to retire.
The switch ends a long local arrangement linking the Pensacola-based flight team with Whitehurst’s nearby shop, The Sewing Box, on North Navy Boulevard.