COIMBATORE: Casual is in. Schools in the textile city have decided their students will now be more happy wearing colourful t-shirts,
denim shorts, three-fourth pants and 'skorts' (skirts-cum-shorts) instead of the plaid shirts and shorts as well as skirts, pinafores and salwar kameezes with the school badges. The new ensemble will have the school insignia stitched on.
The shift, observers say, began when institutions offering schooling under various boards of education like ICSE, CBSE and IGCSE instead of just Anglo-Indian and matriculation began springing up. "Most of them wanted their philosophies to be reflected in their uniforms, so schools which have a more relaxed approach chose uniforms which allowed children to be casual," says Hariram Yeshwanth, CEO of Advanced Clothing Concepts.
Schools say they decided to focus on the child's comfort. "We chose a synthetic and cotton mixed t-shirt and terricotton bottom, because our children are involved in a lot of outdoor activities and play sports. We wanted the child to be comfortable while participating in all activities and in our climate and conditions," says Deva Prakash, correspondent of K'Sirs School. "We did not want to have ties, formal shirts, badges and belts because when children reach their teens well, they automatically start knowing to dress well."
Not too long ago, students walking in with their shirts untucked or without their belts were punished, but many schools now say uniforms have stopped becoming a show of discipline.
‘Children have to like their uniform when they take it out to wear in the morning’
Swetha Krishnamurthy, founder of RAK’s Pallikoodam whose playgroup students wear yellow t-shirts and denim shorts and those on the grade campus are clad in shirt and chinos, says, “I don’t believe that uniforms are a sign of discipline.”
“You can have a casual and practical uniform but still instill discipline,” she adds. “In fact, our prescribed footwear is crocs [popular brand] or lookalikes, and children are barefoot inside the campus. We should also choose uniforms which will last well considering their outdoor activities including playing in the sand and the constant washing it undergoes.”
Schools also now want uniforms which suit the current mindset.
“We cannot force children to wear the traditional
salwar kameez and braid their hair and tie it with ribbons, because they will begin to rebel,” says Krishnamurthy. “We need to change to cope with the present generation and make them comfortable to be seen and move around in the uniforms,” she says.
Kumaraguru Kanagarajan, who launched Peepal Prodigy around five years ago echoes Krishnamurthy’s statements. “With so much globalization and exposure, even small children want to pick out their clothes. They have to like their uniform when they take it out to wear in the morning,” he says. In his school, students wear kurtas and denim shorts or denim threefourth pants. “The styling has to comfortable and we keep tweaking the style based on parents’ feedback,” he adds.
A few in the uniform industry, however, say the formal may be making a comeback. “At least 10 new schools have asked us to design formal uniforms,” says Yeshwanth. “Schools too have begun updating their uniforms according to the changing fashion trends and so sometimes change it every five years.”
