Japanese school angers parents with £500 Armani uniform

Tokyo may be a city famed for its fashion credentials. Yet one local school has taken its reputation to new heights, after introducing a new uniform designed by Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani costing more than £500.

A number of parents of children attending Taimei Elementary School in the luxury shopping district Ginza – home to numerous fashion flagships - have reportedly complained after the stylish new uniform was unveiled.

The uniform, which includes a hat and bag, was specially designed by the Italian fashion house for the elementary state school in order to reflect its prestigious location and reportedly has a price tag of around 80,000 yen (£526).

Leading politicians became embroiled in the school uniform debate this week, after parents’ complaints were raised in parliament, according to Kyodo news agency.

In response to the complaints, Taro Aso, the finance minister, said: “Clearly it’s expensive. It would be severe if a student cannot afford to pay it.”

Yoshimasa Hayashi, the education minister, reportedly added that the government would consider taking steps to ensure the burden on parents to purchase uniforms “would not be excessive”.

Toshitsugu Wada, the headmaster of the school – which is located around 656 ft from Armani’s head office - reportedly sent a letter to parents last November informing them of a uniform change for first year pupils starting in April, the start of the academic year.

“I was surprised, and wondered why such luxury brand-designed uniforms have been picked for a public elementary school,” one unnamed mother, whose child is due to start at the school shortly, reportedly told the Huffington Post.

“I‘m worried that a wrong notion that something expensive is good and something cheap is bad could be imprinted on children.”

Mr Wada has since published a statement on the website of the school, which has a picturesque ivy-covered façade and dates back to 1878, assuring parents he will further explain his decision.

“With humility, I take the criticism that explanation has been insufficient and not well-timed,” he wrote. “I will go on explaining carefully to those concerned.”