Girlguiding redesigns uniforms to put focus on ‘self-expression and confidence’

Relaxed rules mean members only have to wear a top to meetings and activities after extensive feedback

Girlguiding has fully redesigned its uniform across all groups for the first time in more than 30 years, with a focus on “self-expression, belonging and confidence”.

The new range, launched on Monday, has relaxed previous rules: Guides , Rainbows, Brownies and Rangers now only have to wear a top to meetings and activities to be considered “in uniform” after feedback from thousands of girls who said they felt “most comfortable” when allowed to wear what they wanted.

The charity said that the two-year redesign by Hemingway Design, created with input from 55,000 girls and women, reflects Girlguiding’s heritage and traditional brand recognition while embracing modern colours and design features such as hidden pockets in waistbands, thumb holes and badge sashes that double as cross-body bags.

Felicity Oswald, Girlguiding’s chief executive officer, said: “The new range is all about providing girls with the freedom to express themselves, whilst feeling part of our amazing organisation … With practicality, comfort and sustainability at the very core of the designs.

“We know that self-expression and confidence go hand in hand. With girls in guiding being 30% more confident, the introduction of the new uniform is designed to further nurture that confidence and foster a true sense of belonging.”

A Girlguiding survey of 2,000 girls aged six to 16 in the UK in June found that 93% of respondents said they feel most comfortable when they can choose how to style themselves.

Almost half (47%) said they were most confident when they can choose what they wear, while a third (33%) said they feel most confident when they have the freedom to express themselves. A total of 41% said strict school uniform rules stopped them from doing so.

Girlguiding is open to girls aged four to 18. The organisation has approximately 300,000 members, along with 80,000 volunteers, who will now have the choice of 30 new items of clothing to wear and 15 accessories and neckerchiefs, which can be personalised and customised for local, regional and country events. Old uniforms can be upcycled into new accessories at free workshops over the summer, the charity said.

The Girlguiding ambassador, broadcaster and presenter Angellica Bell said: “The new uniform gives girls and volunteers the freedom to style it the way that suits them … [and] empowers girls and volunteers to embrace their individuality.”

The charity has undergone nine outfit redesigns in its 116-year history. The original guide uniform was a blue skirt and stockings with a jumper and neckerchief in the Guide groups’ colour, while Brownies wore a brown tunic dress with patch pockets.

While wartime shortages and rationing led to minor changes, the uniform remained substantially the same until the 1960s, when colours got brighter and hemlines shorter. In 1973, wool costs led to the introduction of a knitted pom-pom hat, replacing the Brownies beret.

T-shirts and shorts became part of the Girlguiding wardrobe in 1980 to support the increasingly adventurous outdoor activities on offer. In 2002 Girlguiding revamped the Brownie uniform with the designer Ally Capellino. The last design update, in 2014 for Guides, used bright colours such as purple for the first time and brought back dresses, which had been dropped in 1990.

Girlguiding’s new look is being launched shortly before a change in the charity’s membership policy from 6 September, which will force transgender girls to leave.

The decision in March came after an announcement last year that transgender girls would no longer be able to join Girlguiding and membership would be limited to “girls and young women” after the 2025 supreme court ruling on biological sex.

Girlguiding has said previously it does not collect gender identity information and therefore does not know how many members and volunteers may be affected by the rule change.