CWB’s Laura Turner discusses Back to School performance, new and enhanced products, B Corp recertification, and the benefits of high-quality, durable school uniform with Matt Clark, sales and marketing director of schoolwear supplier One+All.

 

Laura Turner: The new government’s plan to limit branded school uniform has generated some pessimism within the industry, but are there some positives to highlight too?

Matt Clark: Any proposals like this will understandably cause concern within the industry. However, I think it’s positive that there remains a strong appetite for school uniform amongst parents, schools and especially headteachers, and that the details of Labour’s proposals are still up for debate. The Schoolwear Association is talking to numerous politicians about the subject and has a very strong working relationship with the DfE, too. It’s critical that everyone supports the Schoolwear Association to ensure our important messages are communicated on behalf of the industry. This worked extremely well when The Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2021 was introduced. Without the Schoolwear Association, our industry would look a lot different right now. There will be many schools where the proposals will have little impact because the number of compulsory items is already within potential new limits, and our industry has a great story to tell about the quality and durability of school uniform.

LT: How have you found this Back to School regarding meeting standards on customer satisfaction, service and stock?

MC: At the time of writing, Back to School is still in full swing. Retailers seem really busy, which is great to hear at this time of year. Our focus is to make retailers’ lives as easy as possible during the busy Back to School period. We hold good stock levels, take orders until 8pm, and deliver next day before midday. We are also turning around embroidery and print orders within two to three working days. However, it’s really important to us to know what our customers think, so we are collecting feedback through our annual satisfaction survey, which we send to them after Back to School.

LT: How are you overcoming any delays in shipping?

MC: Shipping times from our factories are longer than we’re used to due to the disruption in the Red Sea and elsewhere. We ordered our stock earlier than usual to cope with this, and we’re fast-tracking top-up orders when we need to.

LT: Can you tell us more about your new bag range?

MC: We are launching a range of bags comprising five bookbags and a gym bag under our The Making Of brand. Our customers have been asking us for this for a while. These products will fit into our usual offshore embroidery service and our fast turnaround embroidery and print services, which we think is what our customers are looking for. Please come and see the new range at The Schoolwear Show in October.

 

 

LT: You’re also enhancing your school blazers. What changes have been made?

MC: We have sourced new fabric in order to supply a better blazer to our customers. The fabric is still made from recycled bottles and is backed up with our usual high stocks, quick delivery and fast embroidery turnaround.

LT: One+All’s sister brand, The Making Of, is still relatively new, but are you seeing any notable trends or bestsellers?

MC: Yes, our T-shirts are proving very popular, particularly as we can print them in-house within two days. Fleeces are also selling well, and we are starting to find a market for our polos, sweats and hoodies, which are aimed at the workwear market.

LT: Are any other products seeing a notable spike in demand?

MC: We launched our Leavers Hoodies service two years ago, which has proved even more popular in 2024. We can supply Leavers Hoodies with printing and embroidery within five working days, and we have our new designs for 2025 all ready to go.

LT: You recently introduced garment printing – is this proving a popular service?

MC: We brought in a Direct to Film printer in 2023, and this has really taken off in the last year. As well as Leavers Hoodies, we are being asked for a lot of T-shirts printed with school badges, sweats with printing combined with embroidery, and hoodies for school trips and teams. This year we are reducing our printing lead time from three days to two days in line with our embroidery service.

LT: One+All recently underwent B Corp recertification. What is your new B Corp score and what steps helped achieve it?

MC: We are extremely proud of our latest B Corp Impact score of 136. This represents a big increase from our previous score and reflects the ongoing focus we have on people and the planet. Some recent highlights include the installation of PV solar panels at our partner factory in Bangladesh, bringing in battery storage for the PV panels we have here in Stockport, and a big focus on our people through our Employee Ownership model.

LT: What’s your outlook for the coming year?

MC: I am sure it will be another interesting and challenging year! We remain focused on helping our customers provide the best service possible and are really looking forward to seeing what the year brings.

For further information on One+All, please click here.