AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - An Auburn design and apparel company, Scarlet and Gold has spent the last few months extending the grasp of its brand in shop and across state lines.
Operating within the state of Alabama for the last ten years, Scarlet and Gold was founded by Megan Smalley, a Texas native and two-time Auburn University graduate. What initially began as a side job ultimately took off for Smalley, who sought to develop high-quality clothing.
“If you have an awesome design, but a hard, crunchy shirt, it ruins it,” said Smalley. “We create apparel and accessories that people actually want to wear.”
The company practically grew overnight, going from five staff members to 25. Everyone has been delegated to various skill-based teams to maximize the company’s success rate, which seems to be working in Scarlet and Gold’s favor.
In the last year alone, apparel production transitioned from outsourced to in-house within Ink and Thread, Scarlet and Gold’s full-service custom print shop. From there, the company began making numerous licensing deals for gameday products for many colleges throughout the United States.
“We’ve been licensed by Auburn and Alabama for years,” said Smalley. “In the last two months, we have gotten licensed for Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Baylor, SMU. We are getting to do some collections for some really awesome organizations. There is a lot of excitement coming up.”
While the quality of her merchandise has been key to Scarlet and Gold’s success, Smalley has also attributed much of it to her employees.
“One of my favorite parts of what I do is being able to find people’s gifts and put them in roles that help them shine,” said Smalley. “The business comes to us because they believe in what we do, and they see a difference in what we do. We from start to finish are making sure that everything that leaves this door is leaving with excellence.”
Ethan Chastain, who serves as Ink and Thread’s receiving lead on the fulfillment team, is confident in the positive work environment’s hand in the business’s prosperity.
“You really get plugged into an amazing work culture,” said Chastain. “We are responsible for our own things, but it’s all about communication and it’s all about teamwork.”
Likewise, Madison Murrell, one of the print shop’s many graphic designers and a current Auburn University student, found that Scarlet and Gold has been more than willing to work around her position as a student so that she could achieve maximum efficiency in both the classroom and in the office. The two portions of her life have worked together hand in hand.
“It’s expanded what I’ve learned from school,” said Murrell. “A lot of opportunities have been brought my way because of Ink and Thread.”
Utilizing the success of her intimate space and all hands on deck approach to apparel development and sales, Smalley believes that the time may be coming to move her workers to a larger location with new machines.
“We are growing every single month,” said Smalley. “We need more room badly, so we will be moving office spaces soon.”
For more information on Scarlet and Gold’s products and design capabilities, visit them in person at their Ink and Thread location at 1661 Shug Jordan Parkway or online at scarletandgoldshop.com.
