School ‘no logos’ policy

[JambonetFromage]

DC’s secondary school has introduced a “no logos” policy for bags and coats - so no North Face, Nike swooshes etc.

On the one hand I think this is great as reduces the competition for having the latest cool brand. On the other hand finding logo-free coats and rucksacks is a bit of a pain.

Overall I’m in favour though and it feels like a refreshing change.

What say you mumsnet, should more schools go down this route?

I like the idea but it also sounds annoying, hard to find things that don't have a label or having to buy products that might not be the same fit or quality just because of the label.

Some schools round here have it but not all. DS's school got them to wear PE kit on days when they had PE during covid restrictions. They were allowed to wear trackies. We got black Puma ones and blacked out the logo. Lasted 2 washes between Sharpie application

You can get unbranded tracksuits from primary and Zara. Same for unbranded rain jackets or from RAINS if want something long and more durable.

im generally not a fan of logos/writing as im not a billboard and its fine and im not even actively looking.

even my stuff from actual sports brands don’t have logos

places like asos have a multitude of brands so you can sift through without having to visit a bunch of different stores.

Being uncool is cool though 😎

Yes rucksacks are much harder to find. There’s a school rucksack in the uniform shop though so I guess they’ll just expect people to buy that one rather than complain there’s no rucksacks to be had.

Obviously I think the fact they give zero fucks about having a “cool” coat is incredibly cool, though I’m not sure their mum’s opinion has much sway in the playground.

This. I like the idea in theory, but equally I want to buy something quality that fits

My observation locally is that another school seems to require e.g. a plain black coat and bag but that are not enforcing no logos.

So it looks like for that school a coat with a massive swoosh on the back would be band but a little swoosh on the breast would be ok.

Whereas DC’s school has banned all visible branding.

I quite often see threads on here about what the “cool” coat brands are so it can’t be that universal.

I’ve yet to see how the school will be policing this but yes according to the letter of the policy that would be banned.

Providing they've given you 3 or 4 years notice, I think it's a good thing. Give you time to find unbranded ones of a decent quality and time to get good use out of ones you've already bought. But bringing in a rule that requires parents to buy replacements for perfectly sound bags and coats is very unreasonable and potentially unlawful.

An alternative to requiring you to find unbranded ones would be to allow logos to be covered with patches. Might need to be approved patches or it's just a different version of Logo wars, but a school patch or a plain coloured one shouldn't be too difficult or expensive.

And if all state schools with uniform did this there would soon be more choice without any logos, though I don't like logos and don't think I've had any trouble finding quality coats and bags (however, I haven't bought myself a school style rucksack in many, many years).

That's just ridiculous.
Quechua is a reasonably priced own brand not "designer" clothes.

How else do you police it? I can pick up Adidas quite reasonably from Sports Direct, it isn’t designer. Why would you allow one and not the other except that one has some cache with kids snd the other doesn’t?

Google - Waterproof Fabric Repair Patches - self-adhesive and usually black you can stick them straight over any logos on bags / raincoats

Its really hard to find actual unbranded stuff. Bit embarrassing, but i know this from trying to find grey jumpers for prison for a relative!

I also think it could make families end up buying two items as the non logo one might not be what they want for out of school. Not just because of the logo, but the limited options.

That wouldn’t go down at all well in Scotland. Here in Edinburgh, the private schools are mega strict when it comes to uniform but the state schools are much more lax. Honestly, it would be like trying to stop 100 horses from bolting.
Expectations would have had to be much higher in the first place for this to work. I work in a secondary school and the kids would think of a million ways to circumvent it, same as they do with their phones.

I think schools are just doing their best to be inclusive, and minimise drama and bullying. As with a lot of issues in schools they’re damned whatever they do. Trying to get 900+ teens, in any kind of order is no mean feat. Most schools are doing their best and parents need to support the rules even if it involves a bit of shopping around

That's my argument for why the rule is just ridiculous.
Places like Sports Direct and Decathlon are good for reasonably priced coats and bags.
In my experience kids don't care about "logos" nearly as much as schools seem to think they do.
Perhaps instead of having to "police" it they should just stop with this obsessive nonsense.

Our DS’s school have introduced a policy where they give (or maybe you buy, not sure) them a school backpack with the badge etc on and they have to use that. It’s started the year after he joined so his year and older are allowed their own but it’s a good idea.

yes, I’m if this mentality, I like to buy something that lasts, I hate buying cheap stuff only to find I’m rebuying 2-3 months later. What a waste!

My DDs’ comp went from compulsory PE kit that was Under Armour branded (with the cost to match!) to allowing any Navy kit as long as no logo.

They suggested buying supermarket joggers etc, which is fine in principle (and what I did in primary) but DD1 is 5’10 with ridiculously long legs - I struggle to buy everyday trousers long enough, let alone sports wear, and no supermarket school range would fit.

Thankfully her year 10 options mean she no longer does PE, because I don’t know how I could have avoided some sort of logo.

I think adults worry far more about logos on clothes than most kids ever do (and I grew up in a family where we couldn’t afford expensive/logo stuff, and no one ever said anything). Yes, some kids want the white fox hoodie or whatever, but they only care that they have it, they generally don’t care if anyone else doesn’t.

I'd be really petty and put a cover patch over any school items like the blazer that have the school badge on 😂😂😂
I mean lets face it - a school badge (aka logo) is just advertising for the school.

You're absolutely right about the backpacks, @Needmorelego, and that's why I drew a distinction between these and such things as coats at 21:50

Fortunately non-logo ones are still easily available though; I have one myself from Cotton Traders, but then it's always beaten the hell out of me as to why anyone would want to pay to advertise someone else's goods

It's not a view popular among tribal teenagers however, which is why they sometimes need guidance as to what's appropriate given the silliness the inevitable competition causes

I’m torn because because my personal experience is that some unbranded items (eg Clarks) can be more expensive than branded ones.

What about PE and trainers? Because trainers are even harder!
this would irritate me because north face bags last longer and we also have a regatta coat.

I have similar experience, a lot of 'no logo' outerwear is either very cheap and low quality or very expensive (but usually either fabric or cut has is quite unique, so people know the brand anyway).