 Durability is still the number-one criteria for school uniforms, but new colors, styles, fabrics and features are giving students – and parents – more choices than ever.
Mary Ann Donofrio is generally satisfied with the parochial school uniforms worn by her three kids. The garments wash well and usually come out of the dryer ready to go.
Everything has a one-year wear guarantee, so if a zipper breaks she can get a replacement. The only thing the guarantee doesn’t cover is the knees of the pants.
“The pants wear like iron,” she says, “but the football on the playground does you in.” The pants are reinforced in the knees, but it doesn’t seem to help. The school has even tested pants made of heavier fabrics, but they didn’t come out of the dryer as nice and faded more quickly.
After more than a decade of stunning growth in the school uniforms market, there is still just one criteria that drives the purchase decision more than any other. “Every single focus group we’ve ever done, the number-one question is always, ‘How can we make them last forever?’” says Gigi Gregersen, marketing director for LT Apparel Group, which is celebrating its 50th year of making school uniforms under the French Toast and other brand names. “The number one thing is durability, and that means reinforced knees, reinforced stitching and belt loops. These uniforms are being worn to gym class, to art class and to drama. They need to be made out of steel, but they still have to look good.”
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