Ridiculous uniform policy for secondary

[freakinthespreadsheets]

I live in a fairly poor working class area, former mining village. I don't even have secondary age kids but this has got me riled up.
The local secondary has been taken over by a MAT and introduced a new uniform. They say that the blazer, PE kit and jumper must be logo'd from the supplier (which i think is pretty standard everywhere) but also that every item MUST be Trutex branded. Shirts, trousers and the skirt (which you can't even find a dupe for if you wanted to as it's a silly tartan design). No supermarket brands allowed. The boys trousers must be sturdy or slim fit, girls can be slim fit only (so "fuck you" to girls with thick thighs then??)
They also insist the trousers must not be skin tight fitting and the skirt must be knee length, or detentions will be issued (but they're only allowing one design/fit, from one supplier, so if it doesn't fit a taller/chunkier teen then what are parents to do?).
Not to mention the fabrics are scratchy and kids with sensitive skin (I was one, and Mum had to order my uniforms online from a place that did skinkind fabrics) who might not get on with the plasticy Teflon fabrics.
I find myself fuming on behalf of these parents and teens - as a curvy, tall female with sensitive skin this would NOT do for me at all! Not even sure what my question is, I guess am I being unreasonable in my thinking that this is OTT and doesn't follow the new government guidance (which I know isn't fully compulsory but still)

Edit to add : in a poor working class area, to set a kid up to attend the local high school looks to be around £350 for uniform - the prices are awful, £35 for a skirt etc

Certainly not in my experience.

Not all DC are 'obsessed with brand names.' anyway. But especially not when they can wear what they like. They keep those things for the weekend if they have them. My DH grew up in the Netherlands. He reports the same.

What country are you refering to that all the teens are so obsessed with brands they have to wear them to school everyday?

It’s a definite thing in the uk. You would have to be asleep not to notice. My DDs loved their fashion but happily wore school uniform. Non uniform days were a bit of a fashion parade. This would be the isssue with non uniform. Some dc would see it as a competition.

Plus what’s wrong with fashion? Don’t we applaud our fashion designers? Don’t we want this industry to succeed? Just because MN has very stern (boring) views on fashion, it doesn’t mean everyone does. My DD went to LCF. Reading this you would think it was the equivalent of a prison. She always had an interest in fashion and, quite frankly, it’s a legitimate interest and something this country excels at.

You can like fashion and also not be 'obsessed with brands.' You can like fashion and also not seen the clothes you wear to school everyday as a 'competition.'

You can @SummerDays2020 but like sports icons and music icons, DC follow designers and brands. It’s not wrong to do that. It’s just not what you think is ok. We spent money on brands at birthdays and Christmas and presents for exceptional exam results. I did not want these paraded at school but I’m never going to say DC should not be interested. DD designed clothes at school and, although has now changed career, she’s still very fashionable and stylish. A fashion leader, not a follower. It’s nothing to apologise for. Usually this interest starts quite young as do other interests. However it’s not something I would support on a daily basis where a uniform is better. Non uniform days can be very competitive by the way. Just because parents and your dc don’t notice, others absolutely do!

Non uniform days in schools with a rigid school uniform are a fashion outing as it’s a one off day. In non uniform schools, where jeans and a hoodie are the norm, fashion isn’t a thing and clothing isn’t competitive.

The notion that fashion industry doesn't target mostly youth is funny

Poland

Non uniform days were a bit of a fashion parade. This would be the isssue with non uniform. Some dc would see it as a competition

Non-uniform days are worlds apart from every day being non-uniform. I've experienced both, I know the difference.

Exactly.

All that talk about kids not caring for brands is funny. Branded clothing in teens sizes sells very very well in UK

Yeah, not obsessed casually wearing branded clothing every day and as teens do what other teens do they not obsessively are also wearing the same brands. 😂😁

Non uniform days were a bit of a fashion parade. This would be the isssue with non uniform. Some dc would see it as a competition

Except that when it’s everyday, it’s simply can’t be a competition everyday.
All children end up getting dressed like they would on a daily basis during the hols. No more no less.

Also worth remembering that no uniform doesn’t mean no rules about what you wear. Just like when you are at work, it’s not because you don’t have a uniform that you can wear whatever.

And you believe it never happens? Switch on any teen movie to see it. Talk to your teens if it happens

Or maybe because they’re dressed the way they want day in and day out, there is no more incentive to show off all the time.

Im finding this obsession on branding that you hear about so much on MN simply isn’t there when clothes aren’t ‘special’ aka when you go out to town with your friends, a party etc… vs when that’s what you wear for school.
The shine goes away quickly tbh.

France is my home country.
I don’t see this fixation of brands….. not when it’s about getting dressed to go to school.

So it doesn’t seem to be something universal but rather a cultural issue.

Hopefully change is on the horizon and the 'three logo'd items' guidance will be clamped down on. I challenged this with my dd's school and it was ridiculous, with the bloody PE kit being the main issue. They said that technically the kids don't need the PE tshirt, jumper, leggings and skort (all branded). Not sure how she'd feel about walking to school in what is effectively a microskirt and no jumper in the middle of winter🙄

www.tes.com/magazine/leadership/compliance/school-uniform-costs-how-things-could-change-under-labour

@Smoothie23 my teen is autistic. At her SEN no one cares what anyone else wears.
Sometimes I think the ASD kids are the ones who have actually figured society out.

What you saying is correct in UK because they wear uniforms. But in countries where there are no uniforms kids do anything not to look "cringe". Oh fashion industry knows that the teens are most easy to infuence target audience but they realise that in UK there is limited point of the campaigns for teens. So their focus is on other countries. In general, in the non uniform countries you have much more choice of clothes for teen years.

You may be very much right.

You are saying that the capital of fashion is indifferent towards fashion?

French I have meet are obsessed with fashion and they spend a lot of time in front of mirrors working out how to look great without showing that they are. This is from makeup to way how they wear things. Brands matter but not the American ones. On the opposite spectrum would be Russian style. Oh yes they want to look and smell.

Also, it is worth looking at sale of branded clothing. France is not shy from buying it. On the contrary

The Kings speech today mentioned school uniforms

Children's Wellbeing Bill
A bill to raise standards in education and promote children's wellbeing, including measures to remove the exemption from VAT for private school fees, which will enable the funding of six and a half thousand new teachers.
This bill will also require free breakfast clubs in every primary school, limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kits that a school can require and create a duty on local authorities to have and maintain Children Not in School registers.

That might be your experience, but my experience in a country with no uniforms is that the kids do not care anywhere near as much as you seem to think they do. They care about what they wear to a disco or special occasions like that but everyday wear for school is just everyday wear.

All of this depends on the child and family income. It’s fairly normal in the UK for dc to want certain trainers or bags. If dc don’t care, that’s their choice but many schools spend a lot of time being anti make up, anti jewellery and anti certain shoes and hair - although the latter has had to stop. My DDs would have been very keen to express themselves with jewellery, make up and hair extensions (are those banned?) but the uniform rules stopped it. They wore school pe hoodies and swapped them with ones from other schools but I preferred them wearing uniform. Generally they did too.

The vast majority of schools have uniforms in the uk. I doubt we care much about France (the home of LMVH for heavens sake!) or anywhere else. My DC expressed themselves through fashion and why on earth not? It’s legitimate and fun but not when at school.

@Natsku It is not a matter of experience. The numbers of sales in £$€ of branded merchandise for the specific age groups and countries speaks for itself. Somebody is buying it in those countries and I recon they also wear it

Even babies wear high end designer gear! Start them young!!