AS YOU put on your school uniform every morning, have you ever wondered how it evolved? On a sunny morning, Fong Yip-kwong has a few interesting stories to tell over a few dishes of dim-sum and a cup of tea. The 77-year-old is one of the oldest uniform makers in Hong Kong. 'In the 1930s, few schools had written regulations on uniforms. We put on what everybody else wore. 'My cousin studied at Wah Yan College then. The boys there wore white tai-kum sam (traditional Chinese men's top; imagine a cheungsam cut short) and white trousers. They liked to pin a pen on their chest to appear more sophisticated.' White blouses and black skirts were the usual girls' school wear. Pullovers and overcoats of all designs and colours were accepted for cooler weather. Mr Fong is the owner of Fung Cheong Shun (FCS) Limited, a family business that has served local students since 1936. It was a time when dyeing techniques were not very good. The colours would come off a uniform after some time, leaving dull patches all over it. 'Oh, it was messy. It didn't look clean or nice at all,' Mr Fong recalled. FCS, a cloth trading firm set up in 1898, patented better dyes and techniques from Europe before venturing into the uniform market. Business soon took off because of the better quality of the products. The simple styles continued until after World War II. As families fled the civil war in China to settle down in Hong Kong, new schools were opened for their children. 'There were more styles using various colours. Overcoats and pullovers also became part of the uniform around that time,' Mr Fong said. Since many of these families were not very well-off, FCS issued $5 coupons to its customers in the 1950s. 'It was a lot of money. For a very decent meal, you normally spent $1.50 at that time,' Mr Fong said. 'And a set of summer uniforms cost only $15. For winter, it was around $20.' Most of the coupons were gone except for two. Mr Fong kept one for his own reference. Another showed up at his counter recently. 'An old lady took her grandchild here for measurement. She showed me the coupon and demanded a $5 reduction. She said, 'look, this was issued by your firm, wasn't it?' 'We gave her the reduction. It was quite amusing. The coupon itself should be worth more than $5!' As more new schools and uniforms emerged, FCS also moved into designing instead of taking instructions from principals. 'The ideas came from fashion magazines. Of course, we also have to take the principals' opinions into account.' Samples would then be sent to schools. 'Some principals asked for the samples to be made to match their measurements so that they could model for the teachers,' Mr Fong said, laughing. However, more uniforms do not equate to better profits. Competitors mushroomed from six in the 1930s to around 500. Mr Fong pointed to the textbook prices as an indicator of how profit margins had shrunk. 'Back in the 1950s total expenditure on textbooks and uniforms was about the same,' he said. 'These days a set of books cost more than $2,000 and every year you have to buy a new set. But a uniform set costs only $150 or so, and you can wear it for years! 'All I want is to keep the three characters 'Fung Cheong Shun' going. After all, it is a family business with a history.' Tomorrow we will be offering you hot tips on how to look cool and fashionable in your uniform
