School Uniforms

The number of schools who require uniforms is on the rise. Get in the spirit by adding school uniforms to your inventory.

School uniforms are no longer limited to Catholic girls and boys. Many secular public and private schools have started to see the benefits of requiring students to put aside their personal fashion choices and don the same – or similar – duds for each school day. In fact, a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education in 2005-2006 showed that about 14 percent of public schools required their students to wear uniforms.

There are many school uniform manufacturers to choose from. They offer boys school uniforms and girls school uniforms for elementary schools, which are the biggest sellers; some even sell high school uniforms. Many suppliers of wholesale school uniforms or discount school uniforms now allow the public to buy school uniforms online while still selling to retailers as well.

Consider these steps before entering the world of school uniforms:

1. Evaluate the needs of your community. For example determine the number of schools that require their students to wear uniforms, and determine what design features they will need.
2. Select styles and colors that are popular.
3. Determine if there are any other custom apparel areas you can branch into.

 

Explore discount school uniform suppliers

If you're looking to offer standard uniforms for the schools in your community, wholesale school uniform companies or suppliers of discount school uniforms are a good bet.
Try: Shirt Supplier accepts school and government purchase orders and also supplies wholesale school uniforms to the public. AllHeartKids offers everyday low prices on such popular school uniform brands as Dickies and French Toast.

Offer fashion-forward designs

Most school uniform manufacturers have branched out beyond the basic button-down shirt and trousers for boys school uniforms and cardigan and plaid skirt for girls school uniforms. Yes, school uniforms need to be . . . well . . . uniform, but there's nothing wrong with a little variety to keep things interesting.
Try: Cookie’s offers a wide variety of school uniforms – even high school uniforms – plus accessories like belts and shoes. French Toast is a school uniform superstore that has plenty of styles for children of all shapes and sizes.

Get in the school spirit with logo wear

Logo wear has become a popular offshoot of school uniforms, offering students a way to show a sense of pride in their school and their community.
Try: Dennis Uniform provides a variety of ways to translate a logo onto apparel, such as heat transfer, embroidery, and appliqué, among others. Ibiley School Uniforms also offers logo wear and a nice selection of school uniform styles.

Explore other niches

Once you've entered the school uniform game, you may want to consider other custom apparel areas, such as uniforms for the medical industry.
Try: Custom Uniform Company supplies school uniforms as well as apparel for restaurants, the military, hotels, and more. Jasco Uniform focuses on the medical industry.

 

• Work with local schools to determine what their students seem to gravitate toward in terms of style. Then offer discounts to schools if they choose you as their primary supplier.

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