Opinions on Paraphernalia & Merchandise!

[Texas Alum]

Hi all! I would like to hear from all my "board"mates here at GreekChat... please give me your two cents (or $1.37 or however much you like)...

What Greek gifts, paraphernalia, merchandise, apparel, etc. do you love - hate - can't live without - can't find on your campus, etc.?

As someone who sells Greek merchandise on-line, I get lots of input from my customers and from the Greeks in my area, but since we are trying to provide what the national market wants, it would be much better to have a broader base of opinion from lots of different chapters, regions, campus sizes, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Texas, I have a newly pledged Zeta at SWT (even though I am a DG alum, but that's OK, she did what is best for her). What do the girls like now? I want to send her something but I'm sure things have changed since I pledged in 1972!! What's the big rage in that part of the country? Thanks for your help, and can you order any of the Greek logo gifts on line?

[carnation]

Rinkrat, I have a newly pledged AOPi (even though I'm a Pi Phi, I can live with it; she's ecstatic!) and I've been watching the Greeks in this state carefully to see what they like.

They still wear the heavy T-shirts with sewn-on letters although not necessarily in their own colors. Another big deal is the acrylic frames with sorority emblems in paint on the sides. Also, the chokers with the oval shaped charms with the group initials on them are big.

They still wear the heavy T-shirts with sewn-on letters although not necessarily in their own colors.

Okay, I know this is off-topic but since it was brought up--why is it that I see many fraternities/sororities wearing paraphanelia that is not in their organization's official colors? I've never seen a member of an ethnic greek letter organization do this, but I see it all the time with NPC and IFC organizations. Why is this?

[SoCalGirl]

Hola Hermana!

I've thought about that on ocassion too. I think there are quite a few reasons why NPC & IFC GLOs don't always use the official colors.

-to show school spirit by using school colors
-to distinguish families, each family has thier own pattern of letters
-to express your personality, I have sisters who have letters in hot pink leopard print!
-display your favorite colors==the ones that aren't the GLOs colors
-as a way to be able to wear them more often==what if your colors clash with your fav shirt? But you still want to show your pride?


I also think since there are far fewer FRIENDLY rivalaries (sp?) between NPC/IFC GLOs than between many MC GLOs; that there isn't the whole "I'd never wear THEIR colors!" mentality. Just my opinion.

[SilverTurtle]

Hermana:

Most of my shirts aren't in my fraternity's colors. A lot of stuff I have is actually purple and yellow, although our colors are officially violet and gold. Sometimes it's hard to find stuff that is exactly those colors, so we sort of comprimise (w/ the purple and/or yellow). And one of my favorite fraternity sweatshirts is navy blue w/ white letters! (These shirts were ordered before I pledged.. I don't know why the decision was made to get blue shirts!).

Texas Alum:
Stuff that was popular at my campus: hats, shirts (sweatshirts, long-sleeved T's, short-sleeved.. you name it), pullover jackets, and classic lavaliers (especially w/ the sororities), car stickers. I have also seen sticker sets (for sororities) that have mascots, symbols, flowers, and letters that I think are neat. And I saw some candle gift baskets (a basket w/ the GLO letters painted on it and candles of the appropriate color(s) inside).
Most of the GLO's are locals there, and my GLO is small even though it's national, so any time we could get our hands on stuff was usually good.
I haven't seen those chokers someone mentioned, but that sounds really rad. I think I might try and make one myself.


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SilverTurtle@greekchat.com

Phi Beta Fraternity
Phi chapter

[This message has been edited by SilverTurtle (edited September 23, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by SilverTurtle (edited September 23, 2000).]

[AXO Alum]

Originally posted by Hermana:
We wear our own colors because they hold symbolism for us, and they are what our founders chose for our organizations, and because we are PROUD.

I think that once again this is part of the differences b/t the groups. Just because I have letters that are leopard print doesn't mean I am not PROUD of the scarlet and olive our founders chose...I have those letters too! Like SoCal girl said...different patterns and colors express our personalities, families, school spirit, etc.

Back to the original question....Hello Sister Texas Alum! You can NEVER have too many picture frames! Our girls also love anything related to candles - candles w/ letters, crests, etc. and the really cool votive holders that are frosted with a silver lyre (or appropriate symbol) on the side.

What I hate - I know for our girls...we have ONE greek store in town. So we don't always get the best prices. But we don't have the moolah to spend a million bucks on shipping and handling charges either when we order online. Often times we'll find things in catalogs or online that are way cheap but the s/h kicks the price up so high that we may as well pay for it in the one shop!

Hope this helps some - as for greek merchandise, I always love getting my little & grand-littles the most unusual stuff. I like the fact that people ooo and aaaa because no one else has one like it



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"Alpha Chi Omega - If you only had 2 wishes, what would your second one be?"

[SoCalGirl]

Hermana,

I know most MCs don't have the mentality, but many do. I also realize that it's a friendly thing and not mean spirited or anything like that.

"We wear our own colors because they hold symbolism for us, and they are what our founders chose for our organizations, and because we are PROUD. It has nothing to do with wearing or not wearing the colors of another organization."

Are you implying that this doesn't also hold true for NPC/IFC GLOs?

<<I also think since there are far fewer FRIENDLY rivalaries (sp?) between NPC/IFC GLOs than between many MC GLOs; that there isn't the whole "I'd never wear THEIR colors!" mentality. Just my opinion.>>
[/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the insight. Just to clarify, most ethnic greeks do not have the "mentality" about the wearing of colors that you just described. We wear our own colors because they hold symbolism for us, and they are what our founders chose for our organizations, and because we are PROUD. It has nothing to do with wearing or not wearing the colors of another organization. I'm sorry you have that opinion of my ethnic greek sisters and brothers.

[Texas Alum]

Hi rinkrat! I'm in Austin, so I am right up the road from SWT, and I know for sure that the girls there are into all the same things that the girls at UT are (I used to work for the company that does all the party pics for UT and SWT) - cute unique jewelry is big here, as well as picture frames, candles, ID/wallet keychains and other unique keychains.

Always popular is anything that is different, like AXO Alum mentioned! Most campuses only have one or two resources for Greek stuff, so when the girls have something that their sisters don't, everybody in the house oohs and aahs!

I really want this post to be purely for market input, so I am not going to put my URL here (don't want y'all to think I'm just trying to use the board to drum up business! we really do appreciate all the info), but if anyone is interested please e-mail me and I'll send it to you! TexasAlumna@aol.com

Thanks so much for your responses! feel free to e-mail me with any other thoughts, comments, suggestions...

[12dn94dst]

Simple answer to why non-NPC/IFC orgs wear our letters only on our respective colors: our organizations' protocol & procedures dictate what colors we can and cannot have letters (greek symbols) on AND what colors the letters can and cannot be.

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Kelli
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
12-Delta Nu-94
MAL, Southern Region
Savannah State University c/o 1997

>>>
Are you implying that this doesn't also hold true for NPC/IFC GLOs?[/B][/QUOTE]>>>

No, I wasn't speaking about NPC/IFC sisters and brothers at all. If you read my statement, I merely responded to your comments that ethnic greeks choose to wear their own colors BECAUSE they don't want to wear the colors of the "rival" organizations. I never once mentioned NPC/IFC in my last comment.

[33girl]

Originally posted by 12dn94dst:
Simple answer to why non-NPC/IFC orgs wear our letters only on our respective colors: our organizations' protocol & procedures dictate what colors we can and cannot have letters (greek symbols) on AND what colors the letters can and cannot be.

Wow, really? I didn't know that. You learn something every day on this board!

[equeen]

For me, wearing a "letters sweatshirt" other than in my sorority's colors is about expressing uniqueness as a person, and simultaneously announcing my affiliation with pride. (My organization doesn't mandate that letters be in our colors only.)

I'm really excited about a letters sweatshirt that I'm having made: green sweatshirt; the foreground material comprising the letters are a shamrock print (green background, darker green shamrocks outlined in gold). The background cloth will be black. The embroidery stitch will be a dull, yellowish gold.

I chose this combination because it represents the grand tradition that OU's College of Engineering has - it incorporates color (green, black and gold) and symbol (shamrock) that represents the College. If I really went all out, I'd be looking for print cloth with cannons and green owls, which are also big symbols of the tradition.

I actually thought about getting letters in royal blue and silver (ASK's colors). Since I wear a lot of clothing already with combinations of blue,silver, sometimes white roses (often with a lavalier or member pin), I chose this as a way to represent two affiliations that I'm proud of simultaneously, rather than just one. There's no way anyone could mistake me for anything other than an ASK and an engineer, with that set of letters!



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equeen
A Lioness has her Pride!
@>--;--
Alpha Sigma Kappa - Women in Technical Studies

[IotaNet]

Originally posted by 12dn94dst:
our organizations' protocol & procedures dictate what colors we can and cannot have letters (greek symbols) on AND what colors the letters can and cannot be.

This is DEFINITELY the case for Iota Phi Theta.

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