VirginiaSouthern is a bow tie company founded by college students Chris DiAntonio and Kyle Boswell. They started the company to create affordable yet high-quality bow ties for college students. Their bow ties cost between $25-$30 and feature the colors of various East Coast colleges. Though the business is less than a year old, it is already profitable and expanding distribution to college bookstores. The founders hope to continue growing the business and take it international after graduating this year.

1. LookingSharp:VirginiaSouthern
From childhoodlemonadestandsto creatingtheirownline of bow tiesandpocketsquares,students,
and nowbusinesspartners,ChrisDiAntonioandKyle Boswell grew upwithanentrepreneurial mindset.
Justundera yearold,VirginiaSouthernisalocallycreatedbow tie companywithinspirationsfroma
typical college student’sbankaccountandthe classy,upper-scale stylesof RalphLauren.
“I was shoppingaroundandthoughtthere shouldbe a companywhere collegestudentscan affordto
buythingsto looknice and that’swhenIthought‘Hey,I can do that!’” said ChrisDiAntonio,asenior
political science majoratJamesMadisonUniversity,andCEOof VirginiaSouthern. Withtheircotton
bowtiescosting$25 and theirsilkbowtiescosting$30, VirginiaSouthernaimstocombine qualitywith
quantityinhopesof givingpeoplethe opportunitytodressfirst-classwithouthavingtomax out their
creditcards.
VirginiaSouthern bowtiessportthe colorsof variouseastcoastcolleges suchasmaroonand orange for
VirginiaTechstudentsandyellowandpurple forJMU studentsandare inspiredbya keenfashionsense
fromBoswell andDiAntionioboth.
“We knew we wantedtodo a school line sowe startedwithTech,JMU and UVA.We’re goingto keep
goingon to the biggermid-Atlanticschools,”DiAntoniosaid. “We’re tryingtobringback that 1920s look
withthe vintage gangsterswearingamatchingbow tie andpocketsquare.”
Both boysagreedthattime managementisthe biggest challenge forthemrightnow whiletryingto
juggle theirschool course loadandfindtime togetin touchwithone anotherto discussthe business.
The distance betweenthemalsoprovedtobe a challenge,butnotone thattheycouldn’tovercome.In
thiscase withVirginiaSouthern,the goodexceedinglyoutweighsthe bad.Forsuch a youngbusiness,
VirginiaSouthernalreadyhassubstantial supportandfollowers.The growthinthe firstyearalone is
enoughtoboost the boys’confidence andhopesof takingthe companytothe nextlevel.
“Sittingbehindadeskworkinga9-5 jobissomethingIcan’t see myself doing.”saidKyle Boswell,a
seniormarketingmajoratVirginiaTechandCFO of VirginiaSouthern.“Iwantthistobe a careerwithout
a doubt. I want to take thisall the way to the top.”
Withthe businessbeingnotevenayearold,the boyswere excitedtoshare thattheyhave not only
alreadygottenbacktheiroriginal investment,theyare alreadymakingalargerprofitthantheyhad
anticipated.Theirrapidgrowthand affordable pricesaren’tthe onlythingthatsetsthese young
entrepreneursapart fromotherfashioncompanies.
“Just tostart, the bow tie ispairedwitha matchingpocketsquare,”saidBoswell.“Also,withevery
purchase youget a coozie anda laptopstickerforfree.Itgivesourcustomersa little somethingextra.”
“We alwaystryto put ina handwrittennote orsomethingpersonal too,soyou’re notjustbuying
something.It’slikeyou’re partof the family,”addedDiAntonio.
DiAntonioandBoswellrecentlydrewupadeal withKevinMurphy,the managerof ClassicTuxedosin
Harrisonburg,Virginia,whenhe reachedouttothe boysafterseeingastory abouttheirbusinessona
local televisionstationhadsparkedhisinterest.Murpheynow hasa sectioninhisstore dedicatedto
VirginiaSouthern where one of eachpatternedbow tie isdisplayed.

2. “Theirqualityandpresentationhasbeenabove andbeyond,”Murpheysaid.“Forsucha young
company,theyhave the presence of acompanythat’s decadesold.”
VirginiaSouthernrecentlysignedacontractwiththe bookstore atVirginiaTechto have theirproducts
soldthere also.Withthe supportof these twocompanies,alongwithafew others,bothDiAntonioand
Boswell feel confidentthattheirprojectisgoingtocontinue tosucceedaftertheygraduate thisyear
and that one dayin the future they’ll have the connectionstheyneedtobe theirownbossesandtake
theirbusinessinternational.
“Thisis whatwe want to do evenif the moneyisn’tthere.We’re bigVirginians,”saidDiAntonio.“We
aren’tjusttryingto sell a product;we reallyare tryingto sell asouthernVirginialifestyle.It’slike saying
‘welcome tothe family.’”