April’s longish read: unity not uniformity

“This is such a significant step to ensuring girls can, from school age onwards, choose from a broad range of kit which includes the best of the best in solutions fit for her body and what she really goes through”

~ Baz Moffat, CEO @ The Well HQ

If you’ve kids in school you probably know who Schoolblazer are – they’re the UK’s leading supplier of uniform and sportswear.

So we’re super-pleased that The Well HQ and Schoolblazer have entered a partnership that’ll ensure more girls at school can access a broad choice in uniforms and sportswear that’s fitted correctly to a girl’s real developmental and physical needs.

We know kit holds girls back. We know from our own extensive research and beyond that periods, breast pain, embarrassment and a lack of choice all converge to put girls off sport and exercise. That dropout stat again is 65%.

So it’s huge that The Well HQ can educate the Schoolblazer team, now and going forward, on the physical and emotional issues consistent with puberty and how that translates into kit requirements.

We’re even more excited that Schoolblazer has signed on with three of our favourite solution-providers: PeBe sports bras, Nixi Body period underwear, and Rezon headbands.

Partnering with this trio of providers gives girls access to clothing and products genuinely made for her and her body. Not only that, these partnerships offer a much-needed national platform for a new breed of brand – companies that are genuinely motivated to tackle the pains and disillusionment girls too-often associate with PE, sport and exercise.

This series of partnerships may not make national headlines but it’s a significant step forward for all of us.

The most influential company in this space is stepping out to meet real girls’ real needs, and they’re not just talking the talk.

In fact, to mark our partnership’s launch, The Well HQ sent a foursome to Schoolblazer’s UK base in Oundle near Peterborough to meet the team and deliver workshops on topics such as pelvic health and menstrual cycles.

The aim was to upskill buyers, designers and management, men and women, on why bras, period underwear and headbands are crucial tools for developing girls’ – for minds, bodies and confidence. We didn’t have to work too hard.

With absolute buy-in from the Schoolblazer team, we’re confident this marks a subtle-but-important step change for the future of the locker room.

It’s an awful lot like progress with more to come in April. Follow Baz on LinkedIn for early eyes on wins and announcements you won’t want to miss.