Dressmakers divided over tighter school uniforms

As the new school year approaches, requests to alter school uniforms are once again pouring into tailoring shops across Jamaica. From trousers tapered tightly to the ankle to skirts taken in at the waist and blouses reshaped for a closer fit, students continue to seek fashionable adjustments despite many schools enforcing stricter dress code policies.

The practice has divided seamstresses and tailors. While some see the alterations as harmless improvements that help students feel more confident, others refuse such requests, arguing that adults should not assist children in circumventing school rules.

Marcia Brown, a Half-Way Tree, St Andrew-based seamstress with more than three decades of experience, said that although schools have become more vigilant about enforcing uniform regulations, the demand for alterations has not disappeared.

“It probably ease off likkle compared to a few years ago because schools stricter now, but every back-to-school season mi still get enough boys asking fi slim up dem pants and even girls wanting to adjust the length of their uniform.”

“Dem [boys] want the leg narrow from knee right down to the ankle. Some even bring picture off TikTok or show mi one friend pants and say, ‘Miss, mi want it fit exactly so.’”

Brown believes social media has fuelled students’ desire to keep up with fashion trends while staying just within the limits of what they think schools will tolerate.

“Sometimes the mother deh deh and she say, ‘No, leave it how the school say’. Then the boy wait till another day and come back by himself. Mi see that happen plenty time.”

Having altered thousands of uniforms over the years, Brown said many people confuse a well-tailored fit with an inappropriately tight uniform.

“Dem nuh want look baggy,” she said. “There are times when I encourage a little room because, as someone who has been in the business, the nearness some of them are seeking has nothing to do with ‘tight’ uniforms.”

She insists there is a clear distinction between tailoring a garment to fit properly and altering it to violate school standards.

“Sometimes the uniforms are made so broad and shapeless that the child looks uncomfortable in it. We have to remember that children are not all built the same. You cannot put every student in one straight-cut pattern and expect it to sit properly on everybody.”

Brown also challenged the assumption that looser uniforms automatically appear more respectable.

“A baggy uniform can look just as untidy as one that is too tight,” she said.

Even so, she has firm boundaries.

“Some of the requests ridiculous. Mi always tell dem, ‘If yuh cyaa walk properly in it, mi nah sew it’. Mi nah want nobody blame me when school send dem home.”

Brown believes adults often dismiss teenagers’ concerns about how they look, overlooking the impact appearance can have on self-esteem.

“When a child feels awkward in a badly fitted uniform, it can affect their confidence,” she said. “Fashion has always influenced uniforms. Every generation changes something.”

For tailor Derrick, however, agreeing to alter a uniform beyond a school’s approved style is about much more than sewing. He believes it is a matter of principle and the example adults set for young people.

“A school uniform is not ordinary fashion clothing. It carries the name and standard of the institution,” he said. “If the waist is too large, fix it. If the pants are dragging on the ground, shorten them. But when a child wants the uniform reshaped mainly to show the body or follow a trend, that is where I draw the line.”

Derrick admitted that refusing such requests has sometimes cost him customers during the lucrative back-to-school season, but said he has never regretted standing by his convictions.

“They tell me another dressmaker will do it. I tell them they are free to go. Money is important, but principle has to mean something. If I believe the alteration is wrong, the payment does not make it right.”

In his view, the debate extends well beyond clothing.

“Children are learning whether rules should be respected or avoided. If every time they dislike a standard an adult helps them bypass it, we are teaching them that boundaries only matter when they agree with them,” he said.

Derrick argued that maintaining school standards should not rest solely with administrators. Parents, dressmakers and educators, he said, all have a responsibility to reinforce the purpose of school uniforms. At the same time, he believes disciplinary action should be handled respectfully.

“A student should not be embarrassed publicly. The school should contact the parent, explain the breach and give the family a chance to correct it,” he said.