‘A celebration of the culture of Penn State.’ Alums and students start clothing company

For College Town Culture, it’s all about the good old days of Penn State.

The clothing company, which launched this past summer, is focused on uniting Penn State fans and State College residents of all ages.

CTC was started by two Penn State alumni, Mike Karns and Alex Baron, and two current Penn State students, Bryce Eberly and Bella Granada. The group set out to create clothes that reflected State College and the culture of Penn State that appealed to current students and longtime alumni.

“Alex and I were looking at stores downtown in State College and the various offerings for merchandise and they all looked very similar to the other stores,” Karns said. “We really wanted to find clothes for ourselves that felt like a celebration of the culture of Penn State and the community of State College.”

Despite opening over the summer, the brand is starting to hit its stride during football season. CTC had two pop-up events, one on Oct. 21 and one Friday at Weirdoughs, to sell merchandise and connect with the community. They said the response so far has been positive and Penn State fans of all ages are starting to interact with the brand.

Much of the brand’s designs allude to the history and legacy of Penn State, featuring Old Coaly and blueprints of Beaver Stadium.

“There’s so much history behind the 40,000 students that are in the undergrad and grad programs each year,” Baron said. “We want every piece of what we put out to bring you back to those good old days.”

The group also collaborated with the Latino Caucus and students of color at Penn State to create designs that reflect the entire community. Bella said her favorite is a design featuring the Nittany Lion made of the words “we are” in dozens of languages.

“We put a lot of our energy into just really making sure that the pieces of merch that we’re creating and the designs that we’re creating are things that are going to be appealing to all demographics,” Granada said.

Alongside the designs, mentoring and providing opportunities for students is a vital part of CTC. The company hires students as models, content creators, artists and more to keep the company deeply rooted in Penn State.

“Mike and Alex have been incredible mentors throughout this entire process with them,” Eberly said. “They teach us everything we need to know.”

This story was originally published October 31, 2022 at 9:50 AM.