It’s no surprise that the winter in New Hampshire is cold, too cold for some even. Combining that with the longer duration of the cold weather in New Hampshire compared to other states, winter jackets become the main apparel in everyday wear. For the stylish individuals, this means that your outfit often gets covered, hiding your creative form of self-expression.
But what if winter jackets could be more than just plain and boring? What if there’s a way that you could customize your winter jacket by adding a touch of your own and still be stylish even though your outfits are being covered by it?
Meet Gianna Salvi, a University of New Hampshire (UNH) marketing student who is taking a modern twist on classic winter jackets. Salvi is currently providing a service to other students where they can customize embroidered designs on their own jackets, making it a personalized and one-of-a-kind item.
Salvi’s journey began when her parents were looking for a women’s UNH winter jacket as a Christmas present for her. Although the search reached a dead end, it gave Salvi an idea of buying a new jacket and getting the logo of her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, embroidered on the sleeve of the jacket, making it a unique piece of apparel.
“After seeing how nice and professional the finished product turned out, I thought it would be cool to get some more embroidered jackets and offer them to my friends and Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters,” said the freshman.
The distinct looks of Salvi’s jacket caught the attention of members from other sororities as well, which was the starting point of her small business.
“Some other sororities requested to have their logo added to the jackets, so I took some custom orders over the winter break before I headed back to campus,” said Salvi.
Though the Massachusetts native clarified that she did not do the embroidering herself.
“My father is good friends with someone in my hometown that does embroidery and screen printing for youth sports teams, large corporations and small businesses,” Salvi said.
Salvi’s initial service for members of the Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) at UNH began to grow after she saw how well the UNH logo was embroidered on the jackets. However, Salvi could only purchase the jackets in bulk which resulted in her having more jackets than she needed. She took the opportunity to expand her target market to all UNH students.
For those who are interested, orders can be made by directly contacting Salvi via Instagram at @giannasalvi or through email at [email protected]. She is currently offering embroidered winter jackets with the UNH Wildcat logo on the chest and paw print on the sleeve design ranging from sizes small, medium and large and in colors black or navy. Priced at only $100 each, students can strut around campus looking stylish and chic.
Salvi is hoping that she could turn this opportunity into a business one day. Currently, she is considering the idea of getting officially licensed to sell college apparel and getting an e-commerce site.
“I have to put together a business plan and have a ton of leg work to do but I’m excited about the potential,” said Salvi.
