British Airways (BA) confirmed on July 7, 2026, that it will replace its long-standing The White Company amenity kits with new artist-designed pouches stocked by London wellness brand anatomē. The change applies to Club World, the airline’s long-haul business class, and rolls out on flights from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) starting in August 2026. The airline made the announcement through a social media post rather than a formal press release.
The move ends a partnership with The White Company that had defined British Airways’ premium cabin for close to ten years. It also extends a kit design first trialled at London Gatwick Airport (LGW) in October 2025 to the airline’s larger Heathrow long-haul network, its biggest hub by far. Frequent flyers and aviation outlets picked up the story within days, split between those who welcome the change and those who call it a downgrade.
British Airways Ends The White Company Era for Club World
British Airways has used The White Company for its Club World amenity kits since roughly 2017, giving the pouches a recognisable, minimalist look across the fleet. On July 7, the airline confirmed that era is ending. According to travel site Head for Points, BA’s own social post read: “Following a successful launch at Gatwick last year, new Club World amenity kits will be rolling out to customers flying from Heathrow next month.”
The White Company will not disappear from the cabin entirely. Head for Points reports that The White Company will continue supplying Club World bedding, even as its toiletry kits are phased out. That detail suggests British Airways is splitting its onboard partnerships rather than cutting ties with the brand completely.
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Inside the New Anatomē Kits Coming to Heathrow
The new pouches use a different shape from the outgoing White Company bags. Coverage from Head for Points describes them as a fabric roll-top bag closed with a metallic buckle, a design borrowed directly from the Gatwick kits launched in 2025. Inside, the contents come from anatomē, which British Airways calls a “luxury British wellness specialist” and which describes itself as a modern London apothecary.
Each kit carries a consistent set of items, based on details confirmed in British Airways’ original Gatwick press release:
- A bespoke 10ml moisturiser from anatomē, formulated for use on long-haul flights.
- A 3ml multi balm made with organic shea butter, rosemary oil, and vitamin E.
- An eye mask, earplugs, socks, and a dental kit.
British Airways says the anatomē products are anchored in scent, with every formulation crafted to nurture both body and mind. The airline frames this as a shift toward wellness-focused travel products rather than simple toiletries.
Gatwick was Already Wearing These Bags Since October 2025
British Airways did not present the new kits as a Heathrow-first idea. The airline first launched the anatomē partnership at Gatwick in October 2025, and it described that version as a limited-edition, Gatwick-exclusive range at the time. It is noted that the collection paired anatomē with the London art platform Rise Art to create four collectible pouch designs.
Head for Points argues that Gatwick effectively served as a test run. The site suggests Gatwick was used as a test-bed, perhaps to check the new kits did not affect the airline’s Net Promoter Scores, before the design was rolled out more widely. That would not be the first time British Airways has used Gatwick this way. The same outlet notes that BA’s Gatwick fleet was also first to receive its densified 10-abreast economy cabin layout before Heathrow followed.
Four British Artists Behind the New Amenity Kit Designs
Each amenity kit design comes from a different British artist, and British Airways is positioning the range as a collectible set rather than a single fixed look. The four names behind the Gatwick-era designs, who also feature in the new Heathrow-bound kits, are Amelia Coward, Charlotte Roseberry, Kit Boyd, and Naomi Edmondson. The airline worked with digital art platform Rise Art to select and produce the artwork.
At the original October 2025 launch, British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer framed the collaboration as a deliberate change in direction. Calum Laming said the airline set out to create something bold and original, modern and unexpected, that would surprise and delight customers.The bags are also designed with a life beyond the flight: British Airways describes them as reusable as an everyday carry-all once the trip ends.
Sustainability is part of the pitch as well. The anatomē products come packaged in recyclable aluminium, socks are made from recycled polyester, and the dental kits and earplugs use paper wrapping with bamboo toothbrushes. British Airways says this packaging change removes roughly 26.5 tonnes of single-use plastic from its premium cabins each year.
Comparing British Airways’ Move to Other Airlines’ Amenity Kit Overhauls
British Airways’ shift toward a wellness brand puts it in a different lane from many of its competitors, who have instead leaned on fashion labels. Head for Points, in a separate piece on the wider amenity kit market, pointed out that several major carriers are now pairing with recognisable luxury names rather than niche wellness brands. Among the examples cited:
- Maison Kitsuné, Acqua di Parma, and Missoni have all supplied kits for other international carriers.
- Aesop and Diptyque have also become common partners in premium cabins.
- Marc Jacobs has designed kits for at least one major airline in the same period.
British Airways, by contrast, chose anatomē, a brand Head for Points admits it had never heard of before the partnership was announced. The site also raises the possibility that The White Company’s existing deal was simply too lucrative for BA to walk away from entirely, which may explain why the bedding side of the partnership survives. That distinction, wellness-and-art over fashion-house branding, is the clearest way this refresh differs from rivals’ recent amenity kit launches.
Mixed Reactions from Frequent Flyers
Not every regular Club World passenger is convinced by the new look. On the FlyerTalk forums, reaction to the design has been split. Some posters welcomed the change as an upgrade on the outgoing pouches, while others were openly critical of the new material and finish.
One FlyerTalk user wrote that the new bags look “so downmarket and trashy,” and questioned whether British Airways had compared the design against competitors before launch. Other commenters were more positive, noting that the new bags performed well at Gatwick since October and that this success led directly to the Heathrow expansion. Comments on British Airways’ own social media posts echoed a similar split between fans of the bolder look and those who preferred the plainer White Company style.
Why the Design Echoes British Airways’ Controversial 1990s Tailfins
Head for Points draws a direct line between the new amenity kits and one of British Airways’ most debated design decisions. In the late 1990s, the airline replaced the Union Jack livery on its aircraft tailfins with roughly 50 different patterns inspired by its global destinations, a project known as “World Image.”
The site notes that the new amenity kit designs remind it of those controversial “World Image” tailfins, which were unpopular enough that Margaret Thatcher was reported to have covered a model aircraft’s tailfin with a handkerchief in protest. The comparison points to a bigger question about brand identity.
Because the new designs are based on individual artwork rather than shared British Airways branding, removing the logo from the buckle could let the bag pass for any airline, or none at all.
What happens to The White Company now
For now, British Airways is treating this as a partial transition rather than a full break with The White Company. The bedding used in Club World, including duvets and pillows, is set to remain under the existing partnership even as the toiletry kits move to anatomē. No timeline has been given for when, or if, that bedding relationship might also change.
The rollout itself is straightforward: Heathrow long-haul Club World passengers should start seeing the new kits from August 2026 onward, matching what Gatwick passengers have already experienced since late 2025.
World Traveller passengers, meanwhile, are separately receiving an updated pillow and blanket set as part of the same refresh, according to Head for Points and other outlets covering the announcement. Whether the new design becomes as recognisable as the old White Company pouches, or fades the way the 1990s tailfins did, will likely depend on how Club World passengers feel once they actually open one on board.