Tuskegee Grads Celebrate TU With Taliaferro Union

Proud sons of Tuskegee formed by its storied historical past, Alvin and Alarie Percival and David Banks are honoring Booker T. Washington’s imaginative and prescient with each sew of their Taliaferro Union clothes line.

The model takes its identify from Washington’s center identify, “Taliaferro,” derived from the Italian “Tagliaferro,” that means iron cutter or blacksmith. The Percivals and Banks draw on this image of energy and craftsmanship to information their work, linking their designs to Washington’s teachings on labor, talent, and self-determination.

“We’re three sons of Tuskegee, not simply the college however the metropolis,” mentioned David Banks, born on campus like his co-founders, whose great-grandfather was named Taliaferro and has a wealthy household historical past with the varsity. “We grew up within the shadow of the varsity, spending summers at camps, going to all of the soccer video games and also you’re form of simply itching to your flip as a result of your dream is to at some point be on the college.”

Equally, the Percival twins have deep ties to the historic Alabama establishment. Their mother and father graduated from Tuskegee, and the brothers spent a lot of their childhood immersed within the rhythms of campus and city life. Alarie Percival described rising up working the land, reflecting the agricultural basis Washington promoted.

“We’re from the nation, so all of us grew up principally on farms,” he informed BOSSIP. “My dad was additionally a Tuskegee College alum, majored in agriculture. So we grew up working the land, rising no matter you possibly can consider underneath the solar and elevating herds of sheep and goats. So we simply felt like what Booker T Washington stood out to do at Tuskegee Regular, which is now Tuskegee College, aligned with us having the same background in agriculture and our curiosity in clothes and positive tailoring. We felt prefer it [Taliaferro Union] was an ideal match.”

“It form of like that full circle second,” added his brother Alvin Percival.

Taliaferro Union’s collections draw straight from Tuskegee’s archives and historical past. The Archive Revival Assortment revives century-old campus uniforms and athletic attire, together with collegiate cardigans, chenille-letter pullovers, and yellow tracksuits as soon as worn by the Tuskegee swim workforce.

“Certainly one of Booker T. Washington’s most well-known quotes was, ‘Forged down your bucket the place you’re,’” mentioned David. “And that’s variety what did right here. We didn’t have to look far and large for inspiration. We actually simply searched proper underneath our toes. Tuskegee has such a wealthy visible archive and legacy that it didn’t take a lot digging to uncover issues that impressed us.”

The Singing Home windows Shirt stands out as a centerpiece of the gathering.

Impressed by the stained glass of the Tuskegee College Chapel, the home windows depict the liberation of the Israelites and the African American journey from slavery to freedom.

“That is an iconic piece that typically will get overshadowed, as a result of lots of people are extra accustomed to the Booker T Lifting the Veil monument on campus, however not lots of people acknowledge the stained glass home windows, that are encased throughout the TU chapel,” mentioned Alvin. “In order that was form of a aim for us, which David pieced collectively superbly. We had been capable of simply replicate that on a shirt and in a ravishing manner.”

The designers see their model as a mirrored image of Tuskegee’s distinctive tradition and the vitality that comes alive amongst college students and alumni. Tuskegee is understood for “The Shed,” a piece the place fanatical undergrads don their faculty’s crimson and previous gold and belt out their famed “Ball and Parlay” chant. The satisfaction is infectious, permeating the air of the east-central Alabama city with a spirit that rivals, and sometimes surpasses, that of different HBCUs.

“My concept on that’s, Tuskegee is a small city in Alabama, it there’s no actual main metropolis shut by, so lots of what it’s a must to do to entertain your self is on campus together with your friends,” mentioned Alvin. “So I feel us not having as a lot proximity to different issues, I feel that provides us that leg up on camaraderie and college spirit that no different faculty rivals.”

That very same satisfaction extends past the campus gates as Taliaferro Union channels its faculty spirit into motion, giving a portion of every sale again to Tuskegee College.

“I feel an enormous a part of our mission too, is just not solely simply to inform the story, however to do one thing impactful as properly,” mentioned David. “So all of the assist that we get, we put additionally again into the varsity.

Alarie additionally emphasised that the model fills a spot out there for well-made, lasting collegiate attire.

“While you have a look at the background of a few of these classic items,you study concerning the faculty having a tailoring program,”mentioned Alarie. “They realized to stitch their garments and do all these trades and we form of obtained away from that as a result of in immediately’s occasions, we’re inundated with quick trend. I needed to get again to high quality items that are supposed to final.”

He continued,

“An enormous driver for me personally with this mission is throughout undergrad, I didn’t actually buy lots of faculty paraphernalia. Some issues had been okay, however I simply didn’t discover something that actually spoke to me that I needed to maintain. I believed that as a complete, we may fill a spot of what the market’s lacking. That’s actually what I feel the legacy I’d like to go away is, that we need to put one thing on the market that we might be pleased with. High quality pushed, that leaves a long-lasting impression, and scratches the inventive bug in all of us.”

“We need to create future heirlooms,” added David Banks.

Finally, the founders see Taliaferro Union as an ongoing connection between previous and current that reverently honors their beloved T.U., thou satisfaction of the swift rising South.

“It’s about storytelling and being the keepers and tellers of our personal story from our personal perspective,” mentioned David. “It’s simply nonetheless displaying that you are able to do a factor that you just set your thoughts to.”

“Our garments converse volumes to the whole storyline of Tuskegee College in addition to us and the way we assist to bridge the hole of sharing that imaginative and prescient of one thing that we admire,” mentioned Alvin. “Hopefully, individuals can recognize that.”

Discover Taliaferro Union on-line and on social media @TaliaferroUnion, the place every bit comes stitched with TU satisfaction.