BENGALURU: With schools set to reopen in June, the uniform business has got a new lease of life. Vendors say children walking in for new uniforms have grown substantially over the last couple of years, when schooling went online.
“I have been in the industry for the past 48 years. Never have I seen such a drastic change in the fittings of children. Waist size of children has increased across age groups. While it was a maximum of 36 inches for a 15 year old’s skirt or trousers before Covid, it is now around 40 inches. As we are into readymade garments, we have to now increase the number of uniforms in ‘extra’ waist size,” said Pavan Jaswani of Deena Uniforms in Jayanagar. Agreed Pradeep Chowhan of Chowhan and Sons: “Children have grown in size. There is a demand for larger sizes now,” he said.
According to the vendors, though the buzz is back, it has not yet reached the normal May sale levels. “Parents are still hesitant. Even while schools are sure that they will reopen, parents want to wait and watch. We are hoping the right picture will emerge by mid-May and sales will bounce back to normal,” said Pavan.
Vendors say prices too have gone up. “There is a 30% increase in the cost of uniforms when compared to Covid years. Rate of yarn has gone up, thus affecting uniform prices,” said Pradeep.
Vendors say schools have taken this opportunity to change uniforms and redefine themselves. “Many of them feel that this is the right time to change uniforms. The change is mainly from the traditional formal uniforms to gender-neutral ones, which are trending. The gender-neutral ones include trousers with elastic waist bands or denim pants for both genders or shorts with a flap in front that look like a skirt for girls,” said Hariharan Subramanian, co-founder of Schoolay.com
Hariharan added that familiarity with online platforms over the past two years has resulted in an increase in purchase of uniforms online. “There is a gradual change in people’s shopping experience. We have therefore set up a customer-support team to help parents with fittings and sizes,” he added.
