The trend of signing names on final-year uniforms is making a comeback at many schools. Some see it as a memorable youth memory, while others view it as a waste.
In the final days of May, many schoolyards are bustling with the scene of passing uniforms around for signing. Some students write wishes for good exams, others draw their friends’ faces, and some just leave a short message: “Don’t forget each other, okay?”
This familiar image of school days continues to spark much debate on social media.
From a few lines of signatures to chibi drawings on uniforms
An online user asked: “Do students nowadays still sign their names on final-year uniforms?” Within just a few hours, the post attracted thousands of comments from multiple generations. Many were surprised that this seemingly old school habit evoked so many memories.
One person recounted graduating in 2003 but still keeping a white shirt full of signatures in their closet. The ink has faded, the handwriting is no longer clear, but just looking at those scribbled lines brings back memories of friends from that year.
For the 8X and 9X generations, signing names on shirts was almost indispensable after the graduation ceremony. Students would wear their uniforms and run around the schoolyard to get signatures, wishes, or phone numbers from friends. In the era before social media or smartphones, a few handwritten lines were sometimes the only way to keep memories.
Today, this habit persists, only the form has changed. While students before mainly signed names and wrote messages, many young people now personally cover their uniforms with various colors and images. The shirts feature faces, class names, academic years, or inside jokes only close friends understand.
Many students even plan ahead, sketching drafts before using specialized markers to draw on the shirts. Some take several days to complete. These shirts are not perfect—they have crooked handwriting, colors that bleed outside the lines, or clumsy drawings. But precisely because of this, they resemble the carefree, messy, yet emotionally rich school years.
Nguyen Ngoc Duy Nam (16 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) said his shirt had almost no blank space left after the last day of school. “I don’t dare wash it because I’m afraid the signatures will fade. There are some people I probably won’t meet again,” Duy Nam said.
In modern times, everything is stored digitally, but hand-drawn strokes bring a very different feeling. It can be folded, stored in a closet, and years later, still held in your hands.
“Phones can store thousands of photos, but looking at your friends’ handwritten handwriting still feels completely different,” a former student shared on social media.
Youth memory or waste in the digital age?
But not everyone views signing on uniforms with nostalgia. On social media, many opinions argue that school uniforms are attire tied to the educational environment and should be kept clean and respectful.
Some parents say they regret it because current uniforms are quite expensive, especially at private schools. Some families want to keep them for younger siblings to wear or reuse after graduation.
Many are also concerned that the trend of signing on shirts is being distorted. Occasionally
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