Among the things the staff of Saitama City’s Omiya Kita High School discussed with parents at its last orientation session was the school’s uniform policy. That’s pretty standard for Japan, since parents want to know what their kids will have to wear and where they can purchase it.
And for the 2022 school year, they just might be able to purchase their uniforms at Uniqlo.
As iconic as they may be, Japanese school uniforms come with some serious downsides, and the biggest one is how much they cost. Price-wise, buying a teenager’s school uniform is similar to buying a business suit, and up until now parents of Omiya Kita students have been dropping around 40,000 to 60,000 yen (roughly US$370 to US$550)for their kids’ uniforms, which consist of a black gakuran jacket and slacks for boys and a blazer and skirt for girls.
“We started wondering if there wasn’t a way to move away from the assumption that uniforms have to cost so much,” vice-principal Kenji Tsutsui says, and now the school is considering letting students put together their school uniforms with items from Uniqlo.
While Uniqlo is best known for their casual fashions, they also carry dressier items like blazers and dress shirts, which are still affordably priced. The ensembles Omiya Kita is considering would allow students to put together a uniform for about 10,000 yen, a much smaller hit to the wallet than the current uniforms.
I – Word Understanding
Iconic – widely known and acknowledged
Ensembles – a complete costume of harmonizing or complementary clothing and accessories
II – Have Your Say
1, What is the importance of uniform at school? Describe Japan’s school uniforms.
2, How do you feel about Uniqlo products? Do you agree with this school’s plan to use Uniqlo products for its students’ uniform? Should other school in Japan do the same thing?
829 Uniqlo outfits might become Japanese high school’s official uniforms
