Girl Scouts of the USA and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) have announced the launch of customizable, redesigned Girl Scout uniforms. The uniforms, which feature a new vest and sash, are complemented by an official apparel collection of 18 new interchangeable pieces for girls in grades 6-12.

Girl Scouts has a long history of collaborating with fashion designers, including Mainbocher in the 1950s, Halston in the 1970s, Bill Blass in the 1980s and Diane von Furstenberg earlier this year. Now in collaboration with three female FIT Fashion Design students, the organization has reimagined the traditional uniform for older girls.

For the first time in over two decades, the uniforms were redesigned to better reflect the young female changemakers of today and tomorrow. The redesigned official uniform includes a new khaki utility vest and pocket sash option made exclusively for Girl Scouts in sixth grade through high school. The two organizations are embracing girls' desires to express their individuality through fashion by offering options available in the online Girl Scout Shop that can be worn while participating in Girl Scout activities or styled as everyday wear.

The new apparel collection was created by three FIT students from the Fashion Design class of 2020—Nidhi Bhasin, Jenny Feng and Melissa Posner—who aimed to highlight elements of the classic Girl Scout look while also peppering in modern, fashionable twists to ensure that every girl can express her style. By offering a variety of options such as cotton-blend and crewneck T-shirts, full-zip hoodie sweatshirts, drawstring joggers, pocketed spandex leggings, cargo pants, a soft knit skater dress and a light-washed denim jacket, girls can showcase their personalities while also sporting the Girl Scout trefoil. Girl Scouts, caregivers, alums, volunteers, and advocates of girls everywhere can also support the organization by wearing the official apparel, with sizes available up to 3XL.

The student designers were selected by leadership from the FIT DTech Lab, an entity within the college's Innovation Center, with whom the students worked in close collaboration throughout the process. Designs were completed through 3D virtual prototyping and an apparel design software platform, ensuring minimal waste and eliminating the need for physical sampling. During the early stages of the project, Girl Scouts and FIT conducted focus groups with current Girl Scouts to tap into the brains of modern girls and gain insight into what they hoped to see reflected in the new designs. Using that research, FIT professors worked closely with the students on their sketches, material selections and overall collection. The student designers also took current fashion trends into account while creating an assortment to appeal to a range of Girl Scouts and their style preferences.

Nidhi Bhasin, one of the FIT designers who is also a Girl Scout alum from New Jersey, referenced her troop experiences and overall learning from Girl Scout programming while collaborating on the designs. 

"Girl Scouts really helped strengthen my self-confidence and encouraged me to pursue my interests," says Bhasin. "With this collection, our shared goal was to not only design trendy attire but also make sure that girls would feel inspired, proud and powerful while wearing each piece. Today's Girl Scouts are the next generation of leaders, so we needed to make sure they dress the part so they can continue to take on the world!"

All items are available for preorder at GirlScoutShop.com/gsstyle.