Thanks to designer Sir Paul Smith and a scheme to promote links between schools and designers, students at the Aldercar Community School in Nottingham are set to receive fashionable new uniforms.
“This isn’t a gimmick,” insists head teacher Tony Cooper. “These are practical designs that kids contributed to and love.”
The Sorrell Foundation charity is behind the ‘joinedupdesignforschools’ project, launched at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. The new outfit, which surprisingly doesn’t include a tie, was praised by Education Secretary Estelle Morris.
“I liked the new uniform because it was smart, it had a clear school identity and it was do-able,” she said. The new look, which includes a stripe down the side seams in the school’s colours, should be ready by January and is expected to cost just a few pounds more than the current polyester designs.
Paul designed the uniforms, which feature a simple white cotton shirt with a square hem for boys and an open-necked look for girls, after consultation with the pupils. “At my first meeting with students the situation was a bit strange and new to us all,” said the famed designer, who has just presented his 2002 spring collection in Paris. “But we soon hit it off and got some great results out of the project.”
Students had three stipulations for the new clothing – simplicity, style and the flexibility to play football in them – all of which were met with rousing approval. “We like them because they’re different and really cool,” says 15-year-old student Adam Grice.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
