In the days leading up to National Marquette Day, students looking for Marquette gear have an additional place to look beyond the Spirit Shop and the BookMarq, with Recess Apparel’s pop-up shops.
Recess Apparel is an online company that sells licensed college game day gear including hats, jackets, crewnecks and hoodies for nearly a dozen schools located all over the United States, including Marquette. The brand was founded in 2017 by two University of Wisconsin-Madison students and its headquarters are also located in Madison.
“[Our founders] identified a need in the market for trendy and unique game day apparel that the university bookstore was lacking. Since then, our brand has grown and evolved to over 20 universities across the nation,” Recess Apparel said via Instagram Direct Message.
Banners from each sorority’s bid day theme still hung in the front of the houses, which appeared empty on the outside. When doors were opened, shoppers were then directed to the first-floor living rooms of each house, filled nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with students sifting through racks of clothing and merchandise on tables. Though the pop-up shops were held at specific sorority houses, the events were inclusive to all students, even if they were not involved in Greek Life at Marquette.
On Tuesday, the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority House at Marquette hosted the first of three Recess Apparel pop-up shops taking place this week. Wednesday, there was one at the Kappa Delta Sorority House from 3-6 p.m.
“I saw [Recess Apparel] on Instagram, but I have not purchased before,” Lorelei Polacek, a first-year in the College of Business Administration who was shopping at the Tuesday pop-up, said.
Polacek joined Alpha Xi Delta a few days ago, after the end of Marquette Panhellenic’s formal recruitment, and was then informed of the pop-up shop happening this week from her new sorority.
“Partnerships are a crucial aspect of our business so we are always looking to collaborate and host events within the communities where we operate. Pop-up events allow Recess Apparel to build a more personal, and authentic connection within the college community,” Recess Apparel said via DM.
The location of Recess Apparel’s first ever pop-up shop was at a sorority house at UW-Madison, since both of their founders were in a sorority. Though some consider UW-Madison and Marquette to be rival schools, the clothing brand wants people cheering for both teams to feel fashionable.
“Marquette University holds a special place in our heart as it was the first university to grant us an official license to produce Marquette affiliated merchandise in 2023,” Recess Apparel said via DM. “Since then we have worked hard to expand our presence on campus and explore new avenues to grow our brand.”
Recess Apparel will hold another pop-up shop on Friday from 1-5 p.m. at the Sigma Kappa Sorority House.
This story was written by Ellie Golko. She can be reached at [email protected].