Start-up Frill thinks sororities are big business. Joining a sorority on a college campus is a 160-year-old tradition. (Alpha Delta Pi at Wesleyan was the first.) Today women join sororities to make friends, build resumes, go to parties and learn leadership skills.* The number one ingredient, of course, for a successful sorority is its members–that’s why recruitment is so important. And that’s where Frill comes in. Sororities expend huge effort recruiting pledges, which show unity and pride by wearing recruitment dresses–basically uniforms that speak to their loyalty and sisterhood. That’s the market Frill is tapping–they make custom clothes for sororities.
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Is there really a market for such a specific line of clothing? Today there are 123 fraternities and sororities with 9 million members. Frill is expanding its business beyond recruitment dresses to include jewelry–and, post-college, bridesmaids dresses. Frill knows its customer, too. Founded by two former N.C. State University co-eds in Raleigh, they know how important philanthropy is to sororities. Frill donates a portion of each purchase to the sorority’s philanthropy.
*85% of Fortune 500 executives were part of Greek life!
