Dressing for sport

Sinchana Appachoo
Sporting and academic excellence are no longer seen as mutually exclusive but rather as complementary. The emphasis being laid on physical training is reflected in the changes in the sports uniform.The focus is no longer on pristine whites, but the uniforms are geared towards aiding easy movement. Sports sessions are therefore becoming more enjoyable for students.

Sports-wear for better sports

Shweta Sreeram
Sport-specific clothing is catching up with a variety of things available in the market — from clothes to shoes to other accessories. What should a school keep in mind when designing sportswear for their students?

Uniform thinking – not?

Why is a uniform so important for a school? Does a dress code reflect a school’s philosophy? Are children able to learn and interact better among themselves if there is a standardised attire? These and many more questions need to be asked. This issue of Teacher Plus tries to answer some of these questions. Read on to get a glimpse of what teachers across schools have to say.

An initiative waiting to happen

With a couple of schools taking to using handwoven fabric for their school uniforms and also taking the advice and help from the faculty of leading fashion institutes to design the uniforms, we caught up with a Hyderabad- based fashion designer, Sashikant Naidu, to get his views on the issue. Some excerpts from the brief interview.

Boys and girls in yellow and green

Kavita Anand
This article is the story of a school uniform that challenged the school’s stakeholders to think beyond the habituated patterns of smartness and gender. It is the story of how and why this uniform was created and what it symbolised. It is also the story of change and how it was brought about. In short, the uniform was an education in itself.

Colours of the rainbow

Shalini Sirsi

Here is an article where colour plays an important part. At Abhaya, the colour of the clothes worn by the children is based on the spectrum of the rainbow. In the primary classes, the children wear pink and red, and as they grow older, the choice is blue, white and lavender. The fabric too is locally sourced, ensuring support to the weavers from Pochampalli.

The value is in the detailing

Sridhar Amanchy
How does a fashion institute go about designing a school uniform? What is the research that is taken up? How is the school philosophy interpreted in the uniform?Here is an insight into what goes on behind the scenes.

Changing with the times

Sandhya Siddharth
A complete transformation in the school uniform requires a lot of thought and planning. Here is one instance of how a school in Bengaluru went about this onerous task.

Contemporary and chic

Adilakshmi Chintalapati
From selecting the fabric for the ideal school uniform to deciding on the colours that will reflect the school’s philosophy, the design process in an international school underwent several stages. This was because there had to be acceptance from all the stakeholders—the parents, the children and the school authorities. This article by a principal outlines how things took shape.

Going beyond looks and clothes

Vijayalakshmi Nandakumar
What happens when a school does not have a uniform? Instead, a dress code is in place. What is the motivation behind this system and do children have the freedom to choose what they wear? Does enforcing a dress code have its own merits? Read up this article for an interesting insight into the philosophy of one of Hyderabad’s leading schools.