College Girls Inc. all started with 24 t-shirts and sweatshirts. Montiera Straughter, a bright eyed business major from sunny California, had dreams and aspirations as a student at Hampton University, In her Accounting 101 course she would often doodle the words “Hampton Girls” along the margins of her notepad. But, little did she know that was just the beginning.
After noticing she didn’t own any HU paraphernalia because it was “wack” or not girly enough, Montie began to brainstorm. She thought of crewnecks that could possibly be sold on campus, if done properly, with the phrase “Hampton Girls” (which she wrote religiously). As days went by, Montiera thought, “What if I called it #COLLEGEgirls?” At the time Twitter was poppin’ and hash tags were everything. The new #COLLEGEgirls logo was actually better. “It was original and provided mass appeal,” stated Straughter. Now the brand could include all girls on campuses worldwide! Which was something that hadn’t been done before.
Once the logo was final, she decided to contact a local silk screening company to print and ship all 48 ordered items by February 6, 2012. She had no high expectation for the first round of apparel. After purchasing a table at Hampton University’s Black History Month Expo, every item on the table that night was sold. At that moment #COLLEGEgirls proved it was a hit.
From that moment on Montie continued to design new apparel, conjure new ideas for the brand and recruit members man the team. After so much positive feedback from girls on campus, she decided to continue to expand the brand in hopes of inspiring other girls to work towards their dreams.
With College Girls celebrating its fourth year anniversary in February of 2016 the brand has expanded, and it is bigger than ever. College Girls has experienced many name changes and facelifts, not only on the campus of Hampton University but nation wide. After dropping the hashtag and adding brand to its name College Girls Brand is bigger apparel. This small business has grown into an organization that informs and educates the women of Hampton University with community service, and bonding events. That overall promotes unity throughout college-aged women.
After hundreds of sales and a diploma, Monteria’s dream is still alive and thriving at her beloved Home By the Sea. Make sure you all check out collegegirlsbrand.com to purchase apparel and follow them on Instagram for upcoming events @CollegeGirlsBrand.