North Korean middle and high school students are increasingly buying fabric at markets to make custom uniforms because the quality of state-supplied uniforms is so poor.
“Wearing uniforms made with market-bought fabric has become a kind of ‘style standard’ among students,” a source in South Hamgyong province told Daily NK recently. “Especially among appearance-conscious female students, there’s a growing sense of embarrassment about wearing state-provided uniforms.”
The source said state-supplied uniforms are made from low-quality blended fabric that “puffs out,” creating wrinkles from the buttocks to knees when students stand up after sitting. The uniforms lack style and release blue dye when washed.
“While some male students just wear them anyway, female students often refuse to wear such uniforms altogether,” the source said. “More families are buying fabric at markets and having custom uniforms made.”
These custom uniforms are typically produced by taking market-bought fabric to private home-based tailors. One uniform costs about 150,000 North Korean won, enough to buy more than 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of rice at market prices, creating a significant financial burden for families.
Despite the cost, some parents justify the expense. “When electricity is so unreliable that it’s difficult to iron pleated skirts, it’s better to spend money on properly made uniforms,” one parent reportedly said.
Authorities turn a blind eye
While students have previously worn custom uniforms instead of state-supplied ones, enforcement against the practice was relatively strict. Recently, however, there has been virtually no regulation or control, and wearing custom uniforms has become a trend, according to the source.
“Homeroom teachers and youth group leaders don’t make a big issue of students wearing custom uniforms,” the source said. “There’s rarely any criticism or crackdown for not wearing state-supplied uniforms.”
North Korean authorities promote uniform distribution as part of leader Kim Jong Un’s “love for future generations,” but socially, there’s a prevailing perception that “wearing state uniforms damages one’s dignity” because the quality is so poor and unattractive.
“Current spring uniforms for middle school students consist of purple jackets and wide pleated skirts. The central government authorities only specify color and style without any quality standards for fabric,” the source explained. “Since provincial and city authorities procure fabric separately, wealthy merchants repeatedly supply cheap materials.”
Moreover, as the market economy has spread since the early 2000s and the custom uniform market has flourished, resistance has grown against the state’s enforcement of wearing low-quality uniforms.
“The quality is so bad that people eventually have to spend money on custom-made uniforms anyway, so now nobody welcomes what the state provides,” the source said. “At first, they strictly enforced wearing state uniforms, but now enforcement has fizzled out. Some people are saying, ‘Honestly, it’s better if they just leave us alone to live our lives.'”
