NACOGDOCHES, Texas -The official Stephen F. Austin State University tartan ladies' scarf, which is 95 percent wool and 5 percent cashmere, will be available for purchase Nov. 18 in the Barnes & Noble campus bookstore in the Baker Pattillo Student Center and online at http://www.collegiatetartan.com.
This is a limited-edition product and may be pre-ordered by calling Esther Campbell, Barnes & Noble campus bookstore manager, at (936) 468-2108. Scarves cost $79.95.
As a collegiate-licensed product, a portion of the sales benefits SFA and the fashion merchandising program. Dr. Rebecca Greer, fashion merchandising professor at SFA, said, "The funds are used to enhance instruction in the program or for student scholarships."
SFA alumna Kelcie Brown designed the official SFA tartan in 2013. Along with other interior and fashion merchandising students, Brown prepared an entry in a student design competition, which a committee comprised of SFA students, faculty members and administrators screened. Brown's design was selected as the winning entry through online voting.
Greer said SFA's tartan design has deep meaning built into it to represent the university and its traditions.
"SFA's school colors of purple and white combined with accents of gray and black symbolize loyalty to Lumberjack traditions," Greer said. "The numbers of yarn represent the years the university has been open, acres the main campus sits on, the university's six colleges, the number of students enrolled at SFA, the areas of undergraduate and graduate studies, the year the Chief Caddo tradition began and the year university president Baker Pattillo was named president."
The tartan is registered with The Scottish Registry of Tartans in Edinburgh, Scotland.
A tartan is a pattern design consisting of criss-crossed lines in multiple colors, which is sometimes referred to as plaid in North America.
Tartans are usually associated with Scotland and Scottish kilts. In 2008, The Scottish Register of Tartans was established as a single, independent Scottish register of tartans by an act of the Scottish Parliament. Today The Scottish Register of Tartans is recognized worldwide as the only organization responsible for protecting, promoting and preserving unique tartan designs. Once a tartan is registered, no other individual, group or organization in the world can register the same pattern.
Additional SFA tartan products available include, lanyards, men's ties and bowties, short- and long-sleeved T-shirts, sweatshirts, coasters, and insulated tumblers and mugs. In the future, polyester tartan ladies' scarves, luggage tags, notebooks, belts, dog collars and leashes, and tote bags will be for sale.
Axe ’Em, Jacks!