Correction: The initial release of this article stated that the first 100 people in the door on Friday would receive a free belt bag, this is not the case. The first 100 purchasers of items in the collaboration will receive a free belt bag.
This Friday, Mississippi State University’s Barnes & Noble will release its highly anticipated merchandise collaboration with the popular athletic wear brand Lululemon.
The collaboration, initially announced on Sept. 20, looks to be the biggest Mississippi State has had since the Cactus Jack (Travis Scott) collaboration and the interlocking MSU merchandise in the fall of last year.
Duski Hale, Mississippi State’s director of licensing, said the collaboration has been in the works since 2021.
“They were only selecting certain schools, being very selective,” Hale said. “We happened to slide in there in the middle of all of those discussions.”
Hale mentioned what excited her most about the collaboration, emphasizing the events leading up to the release.
“I’m excited for how we’re going to launch it. I’m also excited to see how we’re going to build on it. I’m really, right now, excited for all the events leading up to it – we have a VIP night we have some giveaways, we have a fashion show.”
As mentioned, the MSU Fashion Board announced on Oct. 4 that a fashion show at Barnes & Noble on Wednesday will showcase these items prior to release.
Outside of this, a social media contest was held on the YMCA Plaza, and the winner received money to shop the collaboration and a ticket to the VIP event.
The VIP event will be held this Thursday. Certain invited students and faculty will be able to shop the collection one day early in anticipation for the full release.
On Friday, Oct. 18 at noon, the release event will be held at Barnes & Noble. Students will be able to shop the full collection, with the first 100 buyers receiving a free belt bag.
This is not the first Lululemon college collaboration released this semester; the University of Nebraska, Auburn University and other universities have also collaborated with the company. Each collaboration has a different aspect; no two collaborations are the same.
This ongoing collaboration will be available in the on-campus Barnes & Noble and eventually for purchase online.
