Richmond champion Trent Cotchin has found himself in a school uniform controversy after parents were forced to buy socks from his company.
The Herald Sun reports the edict came from St Therese’s School in Essendon, which raised the eyebrows of many parents.
Cotchin and his wife Brooke run Posisocks, which designs socks with positive messages on them such as “I am enough” and “Be Kind”.
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All other school uniform items at St Therese’s, a catholic primary school, are from a single supplier and anything from Big W and Kmart is banned.
The sock edict has left parents questioning how the collaboration with the Cotchins came about and why they are being asked to support the side hustle of a multi-millionaire footballer.
One parent told the Herald Sun: “It would be good to know who suggested this deal to who – is the school making any money from the partnership or are parents just being asked to support a millionaire footballer and his side project?”
“The school is very strict on uniforms, nothing can be from any other shop, which makes this all the more bizarre,” she said.
“The messaging on the socks are also mainly on the top of the foot, so no one else sees the words anyway. It’s all just very odd that it’s a demand, not an option.”
The socks cost $9.50 per pair, and parents also have to cough up additional shipping fees if they don’t spend more than $60.
St Therese’s Principal Michael Di Nuzzo defended the policy, saying the school had carried out consultation when developing the uniform policy and anyone with concerns should approach him.
“The policy takes into account price point, quality, and providing uniformity across the school,” Mr Di Nuzzo said.
“We also have processes in place to support any family who may be facing financial difficulties.
“We aim to work in partnership with families and are always open to feedback.
“I encourage any concerns with the uniform policy to be raised with me or through the school advisory council.”
Mr Di Nuzzo said the school socks featured a “positive message, developed by the students, and connected to the school’s core values, aimed at providing a reminder for the students each morning”.
St Therese’s uniform policy states students can only wear school socks purchased via the Posisocks website.
“Our school socks are purchased via Posisocks,” it says.
“This is a part of an ongoing mindfulness initiative between St Therese’s and Posisocks.
“These socks are to be worn with both the normal uniform and the PE uniform. You can purchase your school socks for home delivery via their website.”
All other uniform items are supplied another company called Noone Imagewear.
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The school’s policy states: “Uniform items must be purchased from Noone.
“This is to ensure that there is consistency across the school in terms of matching uniform and the presence of school logos on clothing – ie, blue shirts, trackpants, shorts, etc. purchased from Target, Kmart, Big W etc. are not accepted as school uniform.”
Cotchin captained Richmond to three premierships in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
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