How do students dress around the world? Some fun facts to get ready for the back-to-school season

Summer is fading away, mid-September is here, and for millions of students around the world it's time to go back to school. In Italy, the back to school season doesn't call for much wardrobe soul-searching, at least not from a rules standpoint. In most Italian high schools there is no real school uniform and, apart from the occasional more or less strict guideline, everyone is free to show up in class however they like.

Over the years, however, certain items have left their mark on generations of Italians sitting at their desks: the Gola shoulder bag, the paninaro bomber jacket, Converse covered in pen doodles and worn to shreds. In many countries, on the other hand, the way you dress for school follows extremely precise codes, which can dictate specific details such as the length of a skirt or the colour of socks, right down to the type of hairstyle.

To tackle back-to-school anxiety together, let's take a look at what high school students wear around the world.

When we picture the classic school uniform today — blazer, shirt, tie and embroidered crest — much of that image comes from England. Its origins are ancient: dress codes for students existed as far back as the Middle Ages, while in 1552 Christ's Hospital School in West Sussex introduced what is generally considered one of the first compulsory school uniforms.

Even today, the uniform remains extremely widespread in English schools, both state and private, although the way it is worn is anything but uniform. Students now sport loosened ties, rolled-up skirts, and personal jewellery and accessories in an effort to express their individual style even on an ordinary school day.

Japan

Few school uniforms have become as culturally significant as Japan's. The sailor-style seifuku and the male gakuran have long since passed through the school gates and into manga, anime, fashion and pop culture. It was above all in the Nineties that the Japanese school uniform became a tool of rebellion.

The kogal — high school girls tied to the broader gyaru subculture — began deliberately altering their uniforms: shortened skirts, dyed hair, heavy make-up, and above all enormous leg warmers covering their shoes, often platform ones. Even today, the Japanese school uniform lives a double life, simultaneously a symbol of discipline and a canvas to personalise, subvert and transform into fashion.

Vietnam

In Vietnam, the school uniform intersects directly with one of the symbols of national identity: the áo dài. The long tunic worn over trousers, typically in white, is still worn by female high school students, although the specific rules and days on which it is required vary from school to school. Over time, the image of girls in white áo dài has become a symbol of Vietnamese popular culture, appearing in songs, poems and paintings.

Dominican Republic

In the Dominican Republic, until just a few years ago, the colour of the polo shirt could tell you almost exactly which part of the country a student came from: burgundy in the Cibao Central region, yellow in the Cibao Norte, turquoise in the South, green in the East and blue in the Santo Domingo area. From the 2024–2025 school year, however, the system has been standardised, introducing a single national combination of a light blue polo shirt, navy blue trousers and white socks. The decision to have all students wear trousers was also presented by the Ministry as a matter of equality, practicality and student welfare.

Bhutan

In Bhutan, going to school means wearing something very different from the usual Western blazer. In many schools, the uniform is in fact the traditional Bhutanese garment: the gho, a knee-length robe belted at the waist, for boys, and the kira, which falls to the ankles, for girls. School regulations can be extremely precise, specifying lengths, accessories, shoes, socks and even which items may be worn underneath the gho or over the kira.