Wesley celebrates...with a new uniform
The lead up to and now commencement of our sesquicentenary year of reflection and celebration about being 150 years young, also marks the release of a new school uniform.
The College initiated consideration of all that we love about our current uniform, sought out where we shared some reservations and engaged pre-eminent industry design and technical capability through The Jonathan Ward Collective (Jonathan Ward - Design, Noone Imagewear - academic uniform and Champion Teamwear - sport/performance uniform) to consider ideas for a classic and contemporary new school uniform.
The release of the new uniform in late 2015 to new students and existing students from early 2016 has been received with great enthusiasm and a sense of purple and gold familiarity, as it is a design and style that embodies the Wesley College about which we are so passionate. The comments and feedback through the Uniform Shops has been overwhelmingly positive.
One cannot help but reflect on the boldness of Prue Acton some 20 years ago, in designing a new uniform for Wesley College which acknowledged over a hundred years of a boys-only school history and fused bold ambitions to the early days of Wesley coeducation. It’s amusing to note that our existing uniform was greeted with an observation…it’s bright isn’t it. And now, our new uniform in 2016 has moved to a deeper and royal shade of purple and, of course, the inevitable observation, it’s a bit darkerisn’t it!
Fashion can be an evolving cycle of classic and contemporary, rife with clichés trying to explain the aesthetic, seeking to give voice and symbolism to how we wish to present our College. The move to a deeper, richer purple, the return of classic grey to complement and highlight a more tailored cut for both the male and female body shape. A lightness and layering of our summer collection (Oh - we are in full swing now!) to respond to the heat of the Australian summer and provide our Early Childhood Learning Centres and Junior Schools with younger styles that remain true to the new Wesley College uniform.
As far as introducing a new uniform to a College with such a significant history, I think we can say that all has gone well, so far. Further releases of differing elements of the academic and sport uniforms will take place as we move through the school terms and seasons, with many existing families taking advantage of the 2016/2017 transition timeframe, as well as continued sale of the existing uniform through the Second Hand Uniform Shops.
While we have attempted to address most questions via the College website www.wesleycollege.net/About-Wesley/New-Uniform.aspx and various updates through Principal’s Term Letters and other newsletter articles, there are times when talking with staff in the Uniform Shop is the only way to understand what needs to be done and what can wait.
