Built for everyday school life
You may have seen other brands talk about uniforms lasting 100 days, but at Monkhouse, we focus on something more meaningful, how well products perform over time.
Our main supplier, Banner, puts key garments through the 50 Wash Challenge. This is an independent test designed to assess how products hold up to repeated washing and everyday wear.
While no garment can be guaranteed to last a specific length of time, this testing gives us confidence that our uniforms are designed to be durable, reliable, and made for the demands of the school year.
(Performance will vary depending on wear, care and individual use.)
What is the Banner 50 Wash Challenge?
The Banner 50 Wash Challenge is a durability test that puts garments through repeated washing to assess how they perform over time.
Each item is washed 50 times by an independent UK test house and assessed at regular intervals across multiple performance areas, including colour retention, shrinkage, pilling, stitching strength and overall appearance.
This process helps us understand how products perform with regular use and allows us to continuously improve quality and design.
How our products perform...
Curious about how our products really perform? You’re in the right place! Take a look at the results for some of our key products below…
Behind the seams: Our approach to quality control
Each of our suppliers employ a team of Quality Control (QC) specialists dedicated to ensuring that all products meet our specific requirements. The overseas QC team will inspect product prior to sending, guaranteeing that we only receive products that are consistent with our high-quality requirements.
Further inspections are then carried out by our QC team in the UK. Their responsibility is to assess deliveries from our factories using AQL methodology, ensuring that every shipment meets our stringent standards and that suppliers consistently uphold our quality expectations.
We carefully choose high-quality fabrics that are not only comfortable to wear but also easy to maintain. We work with our suppliers to ensure that all our fabrics are fit for purpose and require independent testing to be carried out on our fabrics prior to selection.
Factory Standards
Our main supplier, Banner are proud to be a certified B Corp, they are committed to creating sustainable schoolwear and making a lasting positive impact on people and the planet. Banner’s B Corp certification means fair working conditions, transparent supply chains, and responsible sourcing practices. Sourcing from high quality factories remains our priority.
Fabric Consistency
One of the key factors in uniform production is fabric colour and consistency. To ensure uniformity across all stock, swatches from each new fabric batch are reviewed and approved by the QC team.
Pilling Resistance
Fabric is tested for pilling using a method that simulates wear and abrasion to see how easily tiny fiber balls (pills) form on the surface. One common method is the Martindale Abrasion and Pilling Tester, where fabric samples are rubbed against a standard abrasive material in a controlled motion.
Colour Fastness
Before production even begins, all our materials are tested in a dedicated laboratory to meet strict international standards. Colour fastness is tested by exposing fabric to light, washing, or rubbing to see if the colour fades or transfers. Light Rooms ensure colours are consistent across every item. We inspect fabrics and finished garments before and during production, so parents can trust in the uniformity and finish of each piece.
Stitching, Embroidery and Further QC Checks
Final quality checks in garment factories ensure products meet standards before shipping. Inspectors look for defects like loose threads, poor stitching, colour mismatches, and size errors. They also verify trims, labels, measurements, and test zippers and buttons. Only garments that pass all checks are packed and shipped, ensuring consistent quality and customer satisfaction.
Packing
Garments are neatly folded with protective inserts, sealed in polybags with barcodes, then sorted and packed into labelled cartons for secure, organised delivery.