Designing school uniforms is no small feat. It’s not just about giving students the right clothes to wear—it’s about dressing them in a way that reflects a school’s community, culture, and values.
West Point Grey Academy (WPGA), an independent school in Vancouver, B.C., understood this clearly, as did its clothing provider, InSchoolwear. This helped them form a productive and collaborative partnership.
When searching for the right clothing provider, WPGA sought a partner in the truest sense of the word. They were looking for an organization that would work and collaborate with them step by step in developing their school uniforms and attire.
InSchoolwear stood out as an ideal candidate: it showed the ability to provide flexible and hands-on guidance from the start. “They listened to us,” says Stephen Anthony, WPGA’s Head of School. “They worked with us in terms of our goals. While they shared their expertise and provided advice, of course, they wanted to hear what we had to say and what we were looking for. We wanted to keep some existing uniform elements, refresh others, and add entirely new pieces. InSchoolwear was able to find a way to seamlessly achieve all three of these priorities for us. As a relatively young school, we lean more toward being progressive and future-focused than traditional, and InSchoolwear was keen to work with us to find this balance across all our uniform pieces. Their approach was always ‘let’s create something together.’”
In fact, InSchoolwear always starts their corporate partnerships with a ‘getting to know the client’ phase. At the outset, they learn about each school they work with and its distinct culture, community, and environment. They visit the campus, they talk to people, and they observe the community. This gives them a strong feeling for the personality of a school.
“They made an amazing effort to get to know us and what’s important to us,” says Anthony. “Only then did they bring ideas to the table about what approach to take with our school uniforms.”
By taking the time to learn about schools, InSchoolwear starts on the right foot. It shows schools how committed it is to understanding their goals, values, and needs.
This was all too clear in the way InSchoolwear helped design WPGA’s uniforms. “After learning about us,” says Anthony, “they looked at all the different parts of our student uniforms, as well as our school campus to understand how students move inside and outside throughout the day. We wanted to improve the quality, feel, and look of them. For instance, we had a polo shirt that was too heavy, not comfortable enough, and stained easily. They helped us find the new type of polo shirt we were looking for. They brought many ideas to the table, but ultimately, it was a choice we made together.” While InSchoolwear provides expertise (based on 25 years of working in the industry) and guidance in creating school uniforms and attire, they’re all about involving schools in the key decisions.
InSchoolwear is an eco-friendly company. In fact, 80% of the fabric of their school uniforms is made from recyclable material. For Anthony, this was an additional benefit of the partnership. “They provide uniform parts that are durable and lost-lasting. They also provide a variety of options that are soft and easy to wear. Students and parents love that the uniforms are comfortable and environmentally friendly, and this also fits with our school goals related to environmental sustainability.”
InSchoolwear goes the extra mile to get to know schools and to learn what they’re goals and values are. It’s a customer-focused company, one that prioritizes not just the needs of schools, but also those of students and their families.
“We have high expectations for customer service and InSchoolwear has surpassed those,” says Anthony. “They’re a personable, approachable, and responsive company. They met with us and took the time to get to know what’s important to us. This is not something you’ll get from every clothing provider.”
WGPA has a small uniform store that sells clothing, including school uniforms, on campus. InSchoolwear also has a brick and mortar operation that school parents can visit in Burnaby. “They’re both accessible and easy to connect with,” says Anthony. “Families can order clothing online, or go to our school store, or visit the Burnaby store for added convenience in trying on uniform pieces in person.”
In helping create their uniforms, InSchoolwear shared with WGPA relevant and optimal samples from other schools. They also put them in touch with several schools they work with. This was something Anthony found very helpful. “We compare notes with other schools. This helps us make more informed and confident decisions about school uniforms and what works best for our school and our students.”
It may seem like a small thing but InSchoolwear does everything it can to ensure its clients’ needs are met. And, as we’ve seen, it really shows: its customer-focused approach has made its partnership with West Point Grey Academy a big success.
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| Kirstin Broatch | |
| 905-334-4545 | |
| [email protected] | |
| inschoolwear.com |
