Vanish Spotlights the discomfort of school uniforms for autistic children

‘The Unbearable Blazer’ by Havas London is part of a three‑year collaboration between Vanish and Ambitious about Autism

By Creative Salon

27 April 2026

Vanish has launched ‘The Unbearable Blazer’- a powerful new educational project designed to help schools, teachers and neurotypical students understand the significant sensory challenges that traditional uniforms pose for autistic pupils.

For many autistic children, clothes are far more than functional items; they play a crucial role in sensory regulation, routine, comfort and self‑expression. Yet uniform policies rarely consider these needs. Research shows that *56% of autistic children say school is a daily challenge specifically because of uniform, and four in five say uniform impacts their education.

To highlight this issue, Havas London has worked with autistic young people to co-create ‘The Unbearable Blazer’ - a blazer purposefully designed with visceral sensory triggers including stiff fabrics, scratchy seams, tight collars and intrusive labels. The blazer forms the centrepiece of a series of sensory workshops, giving teachers and pupils firsthand insight into the discomfort autistic students experience every day.

The workshops are supported by downloadable school packs which provide further information, tools and resources for teachers and schools on the impact of school uniform for autistic pupils. Vanish and Ambitious about Autism is rolling out the workshops and toolkits to 18,000 teachers across 5,463 schools, helping educators take meaningful steps to create clothing‑inclusive environments for autistic pupils.

You can find out more about the workshops via a film - https://youtu.be/4di8AYFK4QE

Kate Pozzi, Executive Creative Director, Havas London said: “The Unbearable Blazer is a creative idea designed to make people feel - not just understand - the everyday reality for many autistic children. When young autistic people told us what school uniform feels like to them, we knew the only honest thing to do was bring that experience to life in the most tangible way possible.’’

Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive, Ambitious about Autism added: “Our three-year partnership with Vanish has been transformative. Together with Vanish & Havas London, we’ve been able to shine a light on the sensory challenges autistic young people face and open up important conversations with a wide audience. The Unbearable Blazer builds on this momentum by helping schools understand why flexibility around uniform is so important.’’

David Shillcock, Marketing Director, Northern Europe at Reckitt further commented: ‘’Working alongside Ambitious about Autism and Havas London over the past 3-years has been truly monumental for everyone at Reckitt. Together, we’ve moved beyond awareness to create work that changes understanding and behaviour. The Unbearable Blazer represents the culmination of our 3-year journey, using creativity to make invisible challenges impossible to ignore and helping schools recognise the real barriers autistic children face every day. We’re extremely proud of what this 3-year partnership has achieved.’’

Production for the sensory workshop film was handled by Prose on Pixels (POP) - Havas’ AI-powered global content at scale network - with content for the sensory workshops from Social Impact agency Hark.

Credits:

Project name: ‘The Unbearable Blazer’

Creative Agency: Havas London

Reckitt Global Executive Creative Director: Kate Pozzi

Creative Director: Stephen Lynch

Creative: Aly Marx - Blackwell

Managing Partner: Dom Skuratko

Senior Account Director: Elliot Handler

Account Director: Irina Patrichi

Senior Account Manager: Molly Kay

Account Manager: Caitlin Toohey

Agency Producers: Janet Berry