What we do

Smarter Uniforms was established in 2017 in Brighton & Hove and was set up to keep pre-loved school uniforms in circulation, save parents money and save our planet's resources. 

We established 11 school partners around Brighton & Hove and worked together with the school community to provide thousands of uniforms to families for a fraction of the price of new uniform. Our small team worked very hard collecting donations, sorting and selling all the good quality items back to our community in Brighton & Hove. 

Operating such a big project with a small team became increasingly hard to manage due to the immense volumes of donations, a lack of continuous funding and it became harder to recruit volunteers after the pandemic. So in 2023 we changed how we delivered our service. There are now two key elements to our work.

We have created an online marketplace where where families can buy and sell low cost second-hand uniform. With the Smarter Uniforms marketplace, uniforms from primary and secondary schools alike can be listed, graded and sold from parent to parent in an easy and quick way. As of December 2023 we have over 330 registered users and since April 2023 over 150 families have benefited from sales on the marketplace.

And secondly we have a free school uniform programme. We run pop up events and host stalls at community events where anyone can access uniform for free. And we have also set up a network of uniform rails across the city - these rails have  uniform that anyone can access all year round for free. We help keep them stocked up and the community organisations that are hosting them, top them up with donations they receive too. We are hoping to set up more rails in 2024. 

Why Choose Smarter Uniforms? 

Plans for 2024

We’ve been talking to families, young people and community groups about how we can improve what we do and how we can reach more people. We are in the process reviewing this feedback and planning for 2024 - watch this space for more information!