Serengetee, started in the spring of 2012, is one of the fastest-growing clothing companies in the world. The idea for the brand originated with three students on a semester  at sea. 

Astonished at the diverse communities they encountered and inspired by the local artisans, these students decided to reflect the cultures they had encountered through ordinary clothing. Armed with an initial fabric collection from 28 different countries, they started manufacturing pocket tees from their dorm rooms. 

Their motto, “Wear the World,” is clearly

inspired by their mission.

Senior Caitie Barrett, a campus rep at Colgate for Serengetee, took the initiative to become a campus representative for the company after hearing about it from

a friend.

“As a campus rep, my main job is to spread the word about Serengetee and get people to like the Facebook page,” Barrett said. “Because it is such a young company in terms of management and the demographic that it appeals to, this is their main form of advertisement and outreach. For me, this essentially means sending out tons of requests for people to like the page and talking about it whenever I get a chance, wearing the shirts around campus, sitting at a table in the coop with my

laptop, stuff like that.”

Barrett and fellow campus rep, junior Rebecca Libutti, look for ways they can spread the word and get the community involved.  

“Colgate is small enough that the trend has a lot of potential to spread,” Libutti said. “I think the aesthetic fits well with the school. We’re coming up with ways to promote the brand. I’m really excited about what we’re trying to organize. Right now, we’re looking to co-sponsor a 5K with PAC at the end of October, where the first [certain] number of people to finish would receive free merchandise. We’re also trying to  get some of the artists who perform at

Colgate to rep the company as well.”

Each article of clothing features

fabric from a specific region: North

America, Europe, South and Central

America, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Though having recently launched a line of men’s and women’s customizable shorts, the company’s main product is their shirts, which are available in crew neck, V-neck, racer-back, crop-top and long-sleeve styles. The shirts themselves come in either black or white; the customization lies in the fabric chosen for the pocket. There are over 50 patterns to choose from, and each design corresponds to a local charity; five percent of each purchase is donated to one of 32

organizations all over the world.

As a start-up company run by

college students, Serengetee’s market strategy relies heavily on social media. The founders initially asked friends and family to promote the brand by posting pictures of the merchandise online. 

As the company grew, Serengetee looked to expand on their initial audience, college students, to spread the word.

The company’s college representatives  act as ambassadors for the brand, spreading the word at a grass-roots level and starting conversations about the company’s mission. Barrett and Libutti look to their Colgate community to expand the support network for the brand. 

“What we’re asking from Colgate is first to just like the Facebook page but then also to go beyond that and really take an interest in Serengetee and what they do. It’s a great company, a great cause and honestly the clothes are just really cool.” Barrett said. “Also, Colgate is lucky to have reps because that means you get a fun discount code too!  Serengetee offers a chance to wear some fun stuff and, at the same time, give back to the world

very easily.”

“Its like something we would discuss in [Challenges of] Modernity,” Libutti said. “It seems impractical to expect the average person to disrupt their lives to ‘make a difference.’ But this is something that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine, and still know you’re making a

difference. Wear the world, change

the world.”

Contact Kendall Murtha at

[email protected].