Product News: Dow, Pella and White Swan, while Tri-Mountain embarks on a new on-line ordering system

September is traditionally back to school month for many across the country. And just in time for the first bell comes news and new product offerings from two industry suppliers -- Dickies and Santa Clarita Uniforms.

With nearly one in five U.S. public school students wearing mandatory attire, Dickies now offers a choice aimed to please both the budget-conscious parent and that fashion minded student.

Dickies, a global workwear brand known for durable, functional clothing, now offers a complete line of school uniform tops, shirts, shorts, skort, pants, sweaters, hoodies and jackets for male and female students from Kindergarten through High School .

Because the Dickies brand is hugely popular among teens, whose idols like Jay-Z, Blink 182, Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson, Big Boi, Simple Plan and Adam Brody ("The O.C.") are often photographed wearing them, Dickies' affordable new school apparel line is expected to make uniform compliance more appealing and easier on kids, parents and schools.

New for back to school 2005, girls and junior's staples like white blouses, khaki pants and navy skirts are available in a stretch twill for better fit and comfort, plus have a style edge that won't make Teacher loose her cool.

For example, Dickies khaki twill skirt is dressed up with a wide waist band that looks sassy with this season's favorite tie-back interlock top. The line also includes a twill kilt skort, an inverted pleated skirt, walking shorts, a long carpenter skirt, basic walking shorts, polo tops and flat-front pants. "Design-wise, Dickies juniors are an apparel trifecta. They're hip enough for kids; they have value and durability for parents; and they meet most public school uniform guidelines," says Jon Ragsdale, Vice President of Marketing & Merchandising for Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company.

For high school boys, Dickies makes the grade with a wide variety of pants (including the popular zip-off pants that quickly convert to shorts), shirts and jackets that they're already wearing to work and other activities. The only modification is that most schools require logo-free garments, so the classic Dickies logo is on the inside instead.

Dickies also offers a way to help ease funding crunches for cash-starved schools with the Dickies School Uniform Curriculum program. Participating schools earn points for each Dickies uniform purchase, which can be redeemed for educational materials, athletic equipment or free uniforms for low-income students, which schools are often required by law to provide.

Public school uniform programs starting making news decade ago, when the Long Beach Unified School District in California became the first urban district in the nation to adopt a mandatory school uniform program.

Since then, dozens of major school districts, including in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Miami, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Memphis and Cleveland, have implemented similar programs consisting of basic solid color pants, skirts, skorts or walking shorts paired with white or other solid colored, collared tops.

For more info rmation, visit http://www.dickies.com

Santa Clarita School Uniforms, a California based uniform retailer, has introduced EZ2BuySchoolUniforms.com, a site dedicated to providing a comprehensive selection of school uniforms online.

The site features apparel manufactured by Classroom School Uniforms as well as info rmation about school uniforms and uniform polices.

"Uniforms have experienced tremendous growth in the nation's public schools, adding to the traditional base of private and parochial school users," says Kelly Springs, manager of EZ2BuySchoolUniforms.com. "Dallas, TX public schools are an example of such growth as over 125,000 K-8 students begin wearing uniforms this fall."

Established programs like that of Toledo, OH and Long Beach, CA public schools connect uniform use to a decline in disciplinary problems and an increase in student achievement. With nearly 15 million students in uniform across the nation, the market now represents over $1 billion in annual sales.

"Santa Clarita School Uniforms has been working with schools and parents across the country for some time," says Springs. "The website now allows us to service more families. With the help of our school uniform provider, Classroom School Uniforms, we are prepared and ready to go."

EZ2BuySchoolUniforms.com works with Classroom to handle fulfillment from its new facility in Dallas, leveraging the company's distribution experience and allowing immediate access to inventory for same-day shipping and guaranteed supply. "Using our central Texas warehouse, orders we ship for EZ2BuySchoolUniforms.com will arrive anywhere in the US in a very timely manner", states Andy Beattie , GM of Classroom School Uniforms. "This site provides convenience to millions of families in school districts with uniform policies, helping to make the uniform-buying experience less stressful."

Visit http://www.ez2buyschooluniforms.com/ to learn more.