It is much easier to look smart in a new uniform.
A regular problem for 'us legacy' lot is trying to replace our old worn out uniform. A friend was recently told he had a three month plus wait for a new waistcoat. Yellow shirts are a norm.
This is because of a world wide cotton shortage - a result of catastrophic weather occurances. Thats the official line, or it could be that uniform preference is going to new fleet and the odd VCC. My manager somehow managed to kit herself out in a shiny new uniform and is at least sympathetic to my comments about managing uniform standards.
The management have made no secret of describing mixed fleet as elite crew. A cynic would suggest that leaving legacy crew to wither in aging uniforms only subconciously promotes the new fleet = elite fleet dogma.