Assembly of school uniform manufacturers was held

The National Assembly of School Uniform Manufacturers is held as part of the conference programme of the Mir Detstva 2023 and CJF – Child and Junior Fashion 2023. Autumn. It is organised by the Children’s Goods Industry Association with the support of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Moscow City Government and EXPOCENTRE AO.

Discussions around school uniforms are becoming more and more public, legal in nature, supported by standards. However, in this dialogue the voice of the industry is often not heard, including discussions of its problems, needs, production, personnel and financial opportunities. These issues were the subject of the first plenary session of the National Assembly of School Uniform Manufacturers ‘We work for children: new solutions for continued prioritisation of children’s quality of life’.

Antonina Tsitsulina, President of the Children’s Goods Industry Association, opened the session and spoke about the situation in the industry. The children’s goods industry today is worth RUB 1.08 trillion, and the share of Russian manufacturers here is 30%. Of these, 23.6% fall on the children’s clothing market and 10.5% on the footwear market. The average volume of the school uniform market is RUB 70 billion, informed the speaker. Thus, this is rather a large part of the industry, and its problems and demands should be given special attention.

Nina Ostanina, Chair of the State Duma Committee on Issues of Family, Women and Children, welcomed the assembly participants and assured that the Committee will always support the initiatives of those working in the interests of childhood.

Ms Ostanina expressed confidence that manufacturers of children’s clothing, including school uniforms, need state support measures: subsidies, privileges, and reduced taxation. She invited the assembly participants to take part in the next dialogue with the relevant department on an expanded list of goods that should be subject to preferential VAT.

During the two days of the assembly, the participants, which are leading enterprises, will present their views on the problems of the industry, discuss the government’s approaches to regulating the school uniform market, consider and propose solutions to develop the industry.

All business proposals that will be voiced during the discussion will be formed as proposals and sent to the relevant departments.

Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO