Bugle Boy Aims to Sew Up School Share With Line of Uniforms
Most fashion makers promote themselves as trendsetters, offering clothing that will help their customers stand out in a crowd.
But with their latest line, executives of Simi Valley-based Bugle Boy Industries wouldn’t mind if a large segment of the population looked pretty much identical.
Bugle Boy has entered into a licensing agreement with veteran clothing maker Lollytogs Ltd., allowing the New York-based company to market its line of school uniforms under the Bugle Boy name. The clothing should be in stores by June, in time for the midsummer start of the back-to-school season.
Bugle Boy Vice President Howard Finelt, director of the company’s licensing division, said the agreement should not only protect the company from a potential loss of school-age customers shifting to uniforms, but actually increase its share of the children’s clothing market.
“We didn’t want to lose the market share or the brand recognition,” he said. “We want children to remember the brand, wear the brand and feel comfortable in it.”
Finelt said children’s clothing represents about half of the company’s revenue.
Although Bugle Boy already manufactures clothing used by some schools as uniform dress, this is the first time the company has come out with a full line and defined itself as a school uniform supplier.
Along with the financial benefit, Finelt said, the company supports the use of uniforms as a means of maintaining discipline in schools.
“There seems to be tremendous interest in school uniforms and what they can do,” he said. “We have joined together with one of the leading companies to really promote the school uniform market. Our brand [name] has tremendous significance, and we felt we should be a part of it.”
But while Bugle Boy is trying to grab a share of what Finelt sees as a booming market, executives of the 20-year-old company have no plans to ignore the non-uniformed student population.
“We’re promoting both sides,” he said. “If kids are required to wear a school uniform, we feel they should be wearing Bugle Boys, and if they’re not required to wear uniforms, Bugle Boy still can outfit them with a line of apparel.”
The Bugle Boy-Lollytogs merchandise will be sold at retail shops located near schools that require uniforms. Lara Wegard, marketing coordinator for Lollytogs, said the partnership offers her company a chance to serve a new market.
“We’ve been making school uniforms for years, and usually sell to discount stores and specialty stores,” Wegard said. “We see this as a great opportunity to sell to an entirely new tier, like Kids R Us and Mervyn’s.”
