Greek Clothing Stores
Stores covering fraternity and sorority apparel together
A Greek clothing store serves the whole Greek community rather than one side of it: fraternity and sorority letter apparel, gifts and custom chapter orders for dozens of organizations under one roof. That breadth is the point of this page, which sits above the separate fraternity and sorority directories in this section. Campus Greek stores and online specialists stock the major national organizations' colors and letters, run design libraries for events and philanthropies, and handle the licensing that Greek trademarks require. Shoppers come here when a household, a campus or an event spans several organizations: a parents' weekend gift, a Greek week order, or a new member shopping for a first letter shirt without yet knowing which specialist store fits best.
In this section we are referring to clothing worn by college students and alumni that represents the fraternity or sorority that they have joined during their time at school. We are not referring to clothing stores in Greece or clothes worn in ancient Greece.
Although this section is not about retailers selling historical clothes from Greece, some types of apparel from ancient times are clearly relevant to fraternities and sororities. For example, togas are important for toga parties at college.
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft (6 m) in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. In several countries, the tradition of the toga party has become popular in recent decades, generally at colleges and universities, as illustrated in and possibly inspired by the film Animal House. This practice trades on the exaggerated legend of Roman debauchery, and participants dress in togas that are usually makeshift garments fashioned from bed sheets. As such, these togas often bear little resemblance to the Ancient Roman garment, being flimsier and scantier.
Clothing in ancient Greece primarily consisted of the chiton, peplos, himation, and chlamys. Ancient Greek men and women typically wore two pieces of clothing draped about the body: an undergarment (chiton or peplos) and a cloak (himation or chlamys). Clothes were customarily homemade out of various lengths of rectangular linen or wool fabric with little cutting or sewing, and secured with ornamental clasps or pins, and a belt, or girdle (zone). Pieces were generally interchangeable between men and women.
You may also want to visit our collegiate apparel store directory.
Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦΕ)
One Store for the Whole Greek Row
Greek life runs on shared occasions: recruitment, bid day, big and little reveals, philanthropy weeks, formals and homecoming. A store that serves every organization on a campus becomes the practical hub for those events, holding the color standards and letter styles for each group and turning mixed orders around on a deadline. Online Greek retailers extend that hub nationally, with design tools that let a chapter officer build an event shirt, approve the proof with the chapter, and collect sizes through a group order page. The stores listed here operate in that full-service mold.
For individual shoppers, the Greek store is also where the etiquette of letters is explained kindly and clearly: which items are for members only, what a parent or sweetheart design may carry, and how alumni versions differ. That guidance protects both the shopper and the organizations. Start here for an overview of what is available, then follow the links in this section to the dedicated fraternity and sorority directories when your shopping narrows to one organization or one side of Greek life.
Common Questions
What is the difference between a Greek store and a general college shop?
A Greek store specializes in fraternity and sorority merchandise: stitched letters, organization colors, chapter customs and licensed insignia, with staff who know each organization's rules. A general college shop sells university apparel for the whole student body. The two overlap on campus, but lettered and chapter-specific work belongs to the Greek specialist.
Do Greek stores serve both fraternities and sororities?
Yes. The stores on this page carry apparel for men's and women's Greek organizations together, including letter shirts, hoodies, jewelry, paddles and gifts. Shoppers looking only for fraternity gear or only for sorority gear will find dedicated directories in this section as well, but a general Greek store is the best first stop for mixed shopping.
Why does Greek apparel require licensing?
Fraternity and sorority names, letters and crests are registered trademarks of their national organizations. Licensing ensures designs follow each group's standards and that royalties support the organizations. Licensed retailers can also advise on restrictions: some insignia, such as crests and ritual-related designs, are limited in how and to whom they may be sold.