About Us

Turning School Uniforms Inside-Out

Paul Leahy, an Adelaide boy born and bred, lived most of his young adult life in Mitcham, Glengowrie and Blackwood while he studied Chinese at Adelaide University. In the early 1980s he left South Australia to live, work and study in Shanghai where he embarked on a successful career in the garment business - or “rag trade” as it’s sometimes called. Paul married a Chinese girl and when the kids came along he sent his young family back to SA so the children could be schooled in his hometown of Adelaide. 

In 2004, visiting his family during the school holidays, Paul found himself ironing his children’s school uniforms one night. He was struck by the poor quality of the fabric and how the colors seemed to have faded so quickly.  Knowing how much better, and at the same time cheaper, these uniforms could be, he started to research the school uniform market in Australia.

His research revealed that schools and parents were, generally, disappointed at being market captives to low quality and high prices. A CEO of a listed Adelaide company once complained to Paul that he had to pay $80 for a sport code T-shirt at his son’s top private school. With his knowledge, experience and contacts in China, Paul was very confident he could turn the low-quality/high price equation inside-out.

Two years later, in February 2006, DZ Australia-Uniform Solutions was launched with a local partner, Quentin Smith and offshore partner, DZ Group, a China-based American company of 30 years experience with offices in Shanghai and Beijing.  DZ even has its own state-of-the-art colour matching laboratory and ensures excellent factory quality control by employing its own QC inspectors.

The DZ Australia’s mission is to provide a full uniform range of the highest quality possible at the lowest possible prices – rather than the other way round! With a significant and growing client list, DZ continues to show that a high quality/low price strategy will succeed every time.

DZ Australia is fortunate in having Sales & Production Manager David Crighton who has worked at a senior level in the garment industry in Adelaide for over 30 years.

In 2017 David Crighton had the opportunity to purchase the company and established DLC Clothing. Maintaining the same standard of service and developing Adelaide based manufacturing and also sourcing Australian made fabrics.

 DLC’s customers are fortunate because David’s experience and knowledge are just a phone-call away. 0419 846 723