please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . june 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . april 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message southern tide type clothing founded 2006 founder allen stephenson headquarters greenville south carolina united states number of locations over 850 retailers products men s and women s apparel and accessories parent oxford industries website southerntide.com southern tide is an american apparel company founded in 2006 in greenville south carolina by allen stephenson . southern tide manufactures and markets classically styled clothing footwear and accessories for men and women . the brand is owned by atlanta based oxford industries . one of the company s signature lines is their skipjack polo shirt . contents 1 history 2 products 3 collegiate 4 growth 5 locations 6 references 7 external links history edit according to stephenson the inspiration for southern tide came about during college while studying abroad in italy . the clean lines and craftsmanship of italian architecture automobiles and fashion stuck with stephenson upon his return to the u.s. during his senior year at the university of south carolina he presented his concept for southern tide for a speech class complete with sketches his plan to work with stores and his vision for a high quality classic clothing company . following his presentation stephenson remembers his professor encouraging him to pursue his idea asking what are you doing sitting in my business introductory speech class . that night he packed up his dorm room and drove home to greenville south carolina . after dropping out of college he spent months researching the construction of polo shirts from around the world . the finished product became the southern tide skipjack polo identified by the company s embroidered skipjack emblem on the chest . 1 2 products edit southern tide specializes in apparel and accessories that are built with classic authentic styling and attention to detail . this includes polo shirts hats sport shirts shorts pants denim sweaters neckwear outerwear footwear and other accessories . in 2013 the brand expanded its women s collection to include tops chino shorts lounge shorts and sandals . southern tide has also produced collaborative products through partnerships with westpoint home yeti coolers smathers and branson and williams knife co. . collegiate edit available in a wide range of school colors the original polo shirts quickly built a following among college students at tailgate events across the southeast . in 2008 the company launched its college ambassador program an experiential marketing campaign at a handful of schools throughout the region . the program introduced college students to the company while providing the student ambassadors with real world experience and the opportunity to learn from a growing apparel company . 3 since 2008 the program has expanded to new college campuses each year and today features 385 ambassadors at more than 300 college campuses throughout the united states . the ambassador program conducts interviews twice a year for the fall and spring semester . however the company requires that you are at least in your second semester standing at college before considering to apply . 4 in 2011 the brand launched its collegiate line of officially licensed ncaa polos caps and tee shirts from 96 american colleges and universities . growth edit the company s rapid growth has been recognized by several leading business publications . in 2011 forbes magazine recognized southern tide in its annual list of americas most promising companies rating the firm at 27 . 5 also that same year the company was ranked at 73 overall on the inc. 500 list of the fastest growing american companies . the magazine further designated southern tide to be the 6th fastest growing company in the products and services category as well as the fastest growing apparel company . 6 that same year southern tide was also named the second fastest growing company in the state of south carolina by the capital corporation . 7 in 2010 southern tide received the customer service award at new york men s apparel market . 8 locations edit until march 2015 southern tide did not have retail stores operating through specialty retail partners as well as online . on march 27 2015 southern tide launched their first signature store in freshfields village located on kiawah island sc . 9 currently southern tide is available at over 850 retail partners in 42 states bermuda and the virgin islands . references edit nalepa robin cowie november 8 2007 . with his southern tide label upstart clothing designer wants to take on the big boys . the herald . retrieved 29 june 2013 . our story southern tide our story check url value help . retrieved 19 april 2013 . obee katie 22 september 2011 . advertising pioneers . the odyssey . retrieved 24 april 2013 . http ambassador.southerntide.com america s most promising companies . retrieved 19 april 2013 . southern tide greenville sc . retrieved 19 april 2013 . 25 fastest growing companies the capital corp . retrieved 16 may 2013 . southern tide receives 2010 customer service award . retrieved 19 april 2013 . southern tide http www.southerntide.com news first southern tide signature store opens at freshfields village . retrieved may 31 2015 . missing or empty title help external links edit official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title southern tide & oldid 731884950 categories 2006 establishments in south carolinaclothing retailers of the united statescompanies based in south carolinacompanies established in 2006hidden categories pages with url errorspages with citations lacking titlespages with citations having bare urlsarticles needing additional references from june 2013all articles needing additional referencesarticles with a promotional tone from april 2015all articles with a promotional tonearticles created via the article wizard navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page 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