Uniforms School fashions make the grade

Discount Store News, Oct 26, 1998

The value-priced school uniform business, once dominated by super mass merchants such as Wal-Mart and Target, is rapidly expanding to include not only more discounters but a wider range of product designed for a larger-than-ever audience.

In 1994, Long Beach, Calif., became the first U.S. public school district to enforce a uniform dress code, making such a move to decrease campus violence and sharpen students' focus on education. Despite that city's success with the endeavor and an announcement by President Clinton of plans to send manuals to the nation's 16,000 public school systems outlining steps for legal implementation of uniform codes, many mass merchants shied away from the category, believing it would not afford them enough payback for their efforts. Yet the tides have turned considerably.

"With districts nationwide requiring uniforms--including New York, where they will be mandatory for fall 1999--we cannot afford to pass up the category," notes Carol Brady, divisional merchandise manager, JCPenney.

Brady says sales of uniforms have sparked double-digit growth in JCPenney's childrenswear departments over the past Few years and are expected to remain on an upward spiral. Five hundred of the retailer's stores stock the product; a catalog spotlighting the company's Class Favorites private label uniforms in junior's and young men's sizes (also available in some stores) has been introduced as well.

Similarly, Ames has expanded the number of units in which it carries uniforms and is planning up for next year. Significant sales increases of 18 percent to 20 percent are expected, reveals Sandy Sansavera, senior vice president and general merchandise manager, Ames. More than 600 Kmart stores currently carry uniforms as well, according to a company spokesperson.

Meanwhile, fall 1998 marked Bradlees' initial foray into uniforms. Heralded by bagstuffers and newspaper advertisements that ran in early August, the collection from Longstreet's Genuine School Uniforms line may be found in all 105 stores. To date, it has fared "extremely well" in areas where school uniforms are becoming the norm, reports Cindy Quinn, divisional merchandise manager for children's apparel, Bradlees.

Experts claim school districts that are just beginning to enforce uniform codes tend to require students to wear basic pieces, such as V-neck jumpers, skirts and shirts with Peter Pan collars for girls and simple pants, buttondown shirts and polos for boys. Colors tend toward navy, black and white, with some khaki mixed in.

However, fashion touches become acceptable as programs evolve into their second or third year, fueling what sources characterize as heavy demand for trendier garments.

"Administrators now accept the fact that jazzing up uniform components allows for a little self-expression without taking away the overall consistency set by dress requirements or recreating the kind of competition you get with labels," asserts Elliot Tawil, executive vice president of New York-based uniform manufacturer Longstreet.

Based on this trend, the company's line has been expanded include garments in corduroy, velour, pique and waffle-knit materials. Among new styles are cargo and "fit and flare" polyester. pants, zip-front jumpers and satin-trimmed and pique-edged tops. Also, grey, hunter green and burgundy pants, skooter skirts and jumpers, as well as red tops, have been added to the collection.

The same is true for New York-based French Toast, which manufactures French Toast Official Schoolwear and Bugle Boy Official Schoolwear. "In 'uniform-established' areas, like California, parents are making it clear that they want options for their children--quality with a different flair' insists Beth Silver, brand manager for school apparel, French Toast. "And schools are adding to their list of allowable items."

French Toast presently touts more than 1,500 school uniform skus, among them such fashion-oriented pieces as unisex vests, zip-front jumpers, skorts, mock turtlenecks (an alternative to the Peter Pan-collared blouse) and waffle-knits. Navy and khaki remain the most popular colors, but an increasing number of schools are beginning to embrace burgundies, browns, greys and even plaid.

Given this injection of fashion into the school uniform business, discounters report good results with nonbasics designed for younger and older children. For instance, Quinn notes, Bradlees' girls' departments fared well with a short sleeve, pique-trimmed knit shirt; "big girls"' navy polyester pants with bell-bottoms moved fast, too. Navy corduroy pants in "big boys"' sizes were performing well at press time.

"We are in a fashion cycle and will add more fashion bodies in sizes 7 through 14 to [bolster] sales," Quinn says.

"Generally, there is more fashion," agrees JCPenney's Brady. "For girls, skooter skirts are on the rise, as are fashion knits, like the ones that zip up the front. We also [experienced] heavy demand for girls' interlock and woven shirts with placket collars."