Discussions are unfolding in the State Duma that school uniforms in the Russian Federation may become compulsory. Moreover, GOST standards for clothing for students are being actively developed. But now we can evaluate what the form will be in practice. Instead of import substitution, which we talk so much about now, we can get the exact opposite picture – low-quality products made from cheap imported fabrics.
Almost eight years ago, the authorities began a program to subsidize Russian producers of worsted and polyviscose fabrics intended for the production of school uniforms for primary classes. This served as a powerful stimulus for the development of domestic textile enterprises, which from 2016 to 2022 increased the production of fabrics for student clothing by more than five times, including reviving the production of polyviscose materials almost from scratch.
In practice, textile enterprises could receive monetary compensation from the budget in the amount of 100 rubles for each meter of such fabrics sold and 400 rubles for worsted fabrics, which made it possible to reduce the final price of products sold to clothing factories. Every year, about 400 million rubles were allocated from the federal budget for these purposes, but these funds were not enough, given the increase in production costs.
Over the years, light industry enterprises have modernized their facilities, investing significant funds in the business. As a result, our fabrics were sold at a competitive price on the open market. This allowed them to squeeze out foreign producers. Thus, over these years, the share of domestic fabrics for school uniforms has increased from 50 to 80%.
Now the authorities intend to cancel the state subsidy. The draft federal budget for 2024 and the planning period 2025 and 2026 is ready, the document was approved in the first reading. It does not provide for government spending to support the production of clothing for students, although school uniforms are a product of social significance: the health and safety of children are one of the main priorities of the country’s national policy.
This will cause us to roll back 10–15 years. First of all, sewing enterprises that create clothes for students will stop buying Russian fabric: without a subsidy it will become more expensive, therefore, business will close this direction at the enterprises. This will result in big losses for the industries themselves.
This means that cheap fabrics from China and other countries will return to the market. They will be cheaper only due to lower quality. We will not be able to control it: in the Russian Federation there is a moratorium on inspections, including for trade. The GOST currently being developed for school uniforms, which imposes serious requirements on such clothing, will not help either – there will also be no one to control its implementation on the market.
We are sounding the alarm: today we do not see any alternative to subsidies. Any other proposals require elaboration. Now the state is not involved in this work. But the industry has serious potential for development: the clothing market for students is now estimated at 35 billion rubles, and the share of goods completely localized in the Russian Federation is only 17%.
Extension of the subsidy program will allow us to further increase the production volume of fabrics for school uniforms by at least 15–20% annually. This will push low-quality imported fabrics out of the market.
Moreover, the next step needs to be taken, which will further help push the industry towards serious development. Now Soyuzlegprom, together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Higher School of Economics, are developing a Strategy for the development of the textile and light industries until 2030. The document will also reflect the issues of standardization and subsidization of school uniforms, but in new conditions. We will evaluate how we can develop effectively based on today’s market needs, customer demand, logistics, and so on. Also in the strategy, experts will identify new guidelines for government support for the industry.
If the authorities nevertheless make a decision on school uniforms and make them mandatory, then we will formulate appropriate approaches to the standards for them. This is not a question of creating a single uniform, as was the case in the USSR, that everyone wears. We can take the experience of England as a basis, where each educational institution orders its own clothes for students, but at the same time it should be subject to uniform requirements for the quality and safety of fabrics, as well as special requests for tailoring.
There will be two main conditions: the fabrics must be of high quality, safe and durable, which is what the domestic industry can offer. You will also need to focus on the tailoring system: a school uniform is different from a regular suit. The child spends the whole day there, five to six days a week, depending on who is studying in what program. Accordingly, the ergonomics of the form should be different from ordinary things. For example, special patterns should be created that make the clothes comfortable, that is, the suit should be elegant, but ergonomic and not hinder the child’s movements.
The author is the President of the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs of Textile and Light Industry
The editorial position may not coincide with the opinion of the author
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