Three Of Tuskegee’s Proudest Sons Bring Bold,…
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 every sew of their Taliaferro Union clothes line.
Source: Taliaferro Union
The model takes its identify from Washington’s center identify, “Taliaferro,” derived from the Italian “Tagliaferro,” which means iron cutter or blacksmith. The Percivals and Banks draw on this image of strength and craftsmanship to information their work, linking their designs to Washington’s teachings on labor, ability, and self-determination.
“We are three sons of Tuskegee, not just the university but the city,” said 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 in the shadow of the varsity, spending summers at camps, going to all the soccer video games and you’re variety of just itching for your flip because your dream is to in the future be at the college.”
Source: Taliaferro Union
Similarly, 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 in the rhythms of campus and city life. Alarie Percival described growing up working the land, reflecting the agricultural basis Washington promoted.
“We’re from the country, so we all grew up basically on farms,” he told BOSSIP. “My dad was also a Tuskegee University alum, majored in agriculture. So we grew up working the land, growing whatever you can think of under the sun and raising herds of sheep and goats. So we just felt like what Booker T Washington stood out to do at Tuskegee Normal, which is now Tuskegee University, aligned with us having a similar background in agriculture and our interest in clothing and fine tailoring. We felt like it [Taliaferro Union] was a perfect fit.”
“It kind of like that full circle moment,” added his brother Alvin Percival.
Source: Taliaferro Union / Taliaferro Union
Taliaferro Union’s collections draw instantly from Tuskegee’s archives and historical past. The Archive Revival Collection revives century-old campus uniforms and athletic attire, including collegiate cardigans, chenille-letter pullovers, and yellow tracksuits once worn by the Tuskegee swim crew.
Source: Taliaferro Union / Taliaferro Union
“One of Booker T. Washington’s most famous quotes was, ‘Cast down your bucket where you are,’” said David. “And that’s kind what did here. We didn’t have to search far and wide for inspiration. We literally just searched right under our feet. Tuskegee has such a rich visual archive and legacy that it didn’t take much digging to uncover things that inspired us.”
The Singing Windows Shirt stands out as a centerpiece of the gathering.
Source: Taliaferro Union
Inspired by the stained glass of the Tuskegee University Chapel, the home windows depict the liberation of the Israelites and the African American journey from slavery to freedom.
“This is an iconic piece that sometimes gets overshadowed, because a lot of people are more familiar with the Booker T Lifting the Veil monument on campus, but not a lot of people acknowledge the stained glass windows, which are encased within the TU chapel,” said Alvin. “So that was kind of a goal for us, which David pieced together beautifully. We were able to just replicate that on a shirt and in a beautiful way.”
Source: Taliaferro Union
The designers see their model as a reflection of Tuskegee’s distinctive tradition and the power that comes alive amongst college students and alumni. Tuskegee is thought for “The Shed,” a part where fanatical undergrads don their faculty’s crimson and previous gold and belt out their famed “Ball and Parlay” chant. The delight is infectious, permeating the air of the east-central Alabama city with a spirit that rivals, and often surpasses, that of other HBCUs.
“My theory on that is, Tuskegee is a small town in Alabama, it there’s no real major city close by, so a lot of what you have to do to entertain yourself is on campus with your peers,” said Alvin. “So I think us not having as much proximity to other things, I think that gives us that leg up on camaraderie and school spirit that no other school rivals.”
Source: Taliaferro Union
That same delight extends past the campus gates as Taliaferro Union channels its faculty spirit into motion, giving a portion of each sale back to Tuskegee University.
“I think a big part of our mission too, is not only just to tell the story, but to do something impactful as well,” said David. “So all the help that we get, we put also back into the varsity.
Source: Taliaferro Union
Alarie also emphasised that the model fills a hole in the market for well-made, lasting collegiate attire.
“When you look at the background of some of these vintage pieces,you learn about the school having a tailoring program,”said Alarie. “They learned to sew their clothes and do all these trades and we kind of got away from that because in today’s times, we’re inundated with fast fashion. I wanted to get back to quality pieces that are meant to last.”
Source: Taliaferro Union
He continued,
“A big driver for me personally with this project is during undergrad, I didn’t really purchase a lot of school paraphernalia. Some things were okay, but I just didn’t find anything that really spoke to me that I wanted to keep. I thought that as a whole, we could fill a gap of what the market’s missing. That’s really what I think the legacy I’d like to leave is, that we want to put something out there that we can be proud of. Quality driven, that leaves a lasting impression, and scratches the creative bug in all of us.”
“We want to create future heirlooms,” added David Banks.
Source: Taliaferro Union
Ultimately, the founders see Taliaferro Union as an ongoing connection between past and current that reverently honors their beloved T.U., thou delight of the swift growing South.
“It’s about storytelling and being the keepers and tellers of our own story from our own perspective,” said David. “It’s just still showing that you can do a thing that you set your mind to.”
Source: Taliaferro Union / Taliaferro Union
“Our clothes speak volumes to the entire storyline of Tuskegee University as well as us and how we help to bridge the gap of sharing that vision of something that we admire,” said Alvin. “Hopefully, people can appreciate that.”
Find Taliaferro Union online and on social media @TaliaferroUnion, where every piece comes stitched with TU delight.
The post Three Of Tuskegee’s Proudest Sons Bring Bold, Heritage-Focused Designs To Life With Taliaferro Union, HBCU Excellence Ensues [Exclusive] appeared first on GWN.