When we were young we secretly wished that the uniforms we wore to school could be more fun and less monotonous!
Yes, we all know how important they are. They have proven to be an effective tool to level out the socio /economic standards of society, probably which is why they have been in existence for so many decades now and still going strong.
Students wearing good quality and well-styled uniforms surely result in boosting their self-confidence and image thereby improving their overall performance and presentation, which is why the school dress code should not only be comfortable but also be able to enhance their personalities.
Uniforms should not be controlled and regulated by stereotypical notions governing how children dress up.
Unfortunately, this huge school uniform industry in India is lagging behind compared to its contemporaries.
It’s common knowledge that India grows ….spins …Weaves and exports some of the best cotton apparel to the world and is, therefore, a leading producer of cotton worldwide, So one wonders why the kids in India are wearing polyester uniforms? that too in a tropical country !! where the temperatures soar even up to even 45 degrees in summer ??!! it really defies all common sense.
Owing to the growing exposure and the increased influence of social media the younger generation of students is aware of the latest trends and technological advancements in clothing like wrinkle resistant, fire-resistant, air-spun yarn, double-count cotton yarn, prewashes, and dry fits have become common terms and knowledge. respectively with their brands. They aspire to wear good quality clothing to look and feel the school.
So what we find is a huge gap between demand and supply. Only a few have realized this and even fewer are trying to address this and cash on a huge market herein.
In my next blog, I will throw more light on this aspect.
After all, they do spend one-third of their lives ie 6 to 8 hrs of the day in their school kits. They really should be wearing the best garments in quality and style as their uniforms ….. much like the brand ambassadors of their school. …..something to remember fondly and proudly even when they pass out of their respective schools,………the remaining memory for a lifetime. It’s such an important piece of their everyday life. It really needs to be remembered with great nostalgia and pride. Childhoods for some do consist of irreplaceable events and memories.
Unfortunately, this is not the current scenario….
What is most shocking is, that most of the parent’s mindsets!
They don’t mind spending 10X the amount of what they wear to school on party wear ….which probably is worn a very few times before it gets outsized, but make a huge hue and cry over paying the equivalent of that for the quality they deserve in the everyday school kits, for the wear and tear they face, no other garment in the wardrobe does!
Most of them are even embarrassed about the inferior quality, cut, and sewing of their school dresses.
The school uniform industry is on the brink of a revolution and uniforms can effectively be used to transform a utility good into a sophisticated and evolved space, of design, aesthetics, gender sensitivity, and sustainability. I believe that uniform is an important aspect of how students perceive and interact with the world around them, and how they express and present themselves to the world. Uniform plays an important role in developing their self-image and is part of the holistic development process.
Their joy lies in wearing well-designed with supreme quality and well-styled uniforms that form part of the school’s brand and child’s identity. To add value to the uniforms by being comfortable, sustainable, and able to promote a positive self-image.
One such company that is driving the change in India is Reinvent Uniforms Pvt ltd
The founder’s very simple story is that of the pain of a mother seeing her toddlers wearing the worst of the uniforms to school, to come back with acute skin rashes all over the sensitive skins of the young children, not to mention the stink of the sweat which is unbearable.
What started as a humble offering of natural fabric to the schools lead to the designing and manufacturing quality uniforms.b ric to the schools lead to quality uniforms.to come back
In their drive for sustainability, Reinvent relies heavily on natural blend products with strict adherence to quality norms laid out by the International Textile Federations. They believe in bringing back natural products into school uniforms, especially in tropical countries. To evolve post the recent pandemic which resulted in the surge of online buying that lead to the creation of their patented online sizing tools.
Schools are now breaking away from the age-old, typecast, legacy-owned uniform vendors who are mostly either just fabric traders or just garment converters, this constitutes the bulk of the traders. The uniform suppliers are quite conservative and unimaginative and probably even complacent in carrying on this business for years in the same old way which is why the quantum of the industry is growing year on year, but the quality is constantly receding.
Schools should really invest some time and effort to realize and acknowledge the shortcomings of today’s uniforms.
Most of us have kids and I am sure everyone agrees to
reinvent the otherwise dull, boring, and inferior quality uniforms into a contemporary and trendy ensemble like never before.
As part of our service product offering, we double down as Image consultants for the school along with uniforms. Hence all Private K-12 schools (Over 10,00,000 schools) in the mid to high income who are seeking to brand their vision and create a specific image for the institution through Uniforms fit into reinvent ‘s current customer profiles. The total addressable market is all public and private schools and with our retail offering in the future, we hope to go beyond schools altogether. Currently, the higher income ie the International,IB /Cambridge syllabus schools are buying from us. We also have school chains as they get the uniformity they desire considering the socio-economic and cultural diversity coupled with the varied climatic conditions pan India.
The journey from “ just another school uniform ?“ to “Wow, this is uniform!” should be a mission statement for every educational institute to address and update the otherwise terribly ignored industry.
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