Tuskegee-Born Designers Channel Campus Roots Into Heritage Brand, Taliaferro Union

Three of Tuskegee’s proudest sons, twin brothers Alvin and Alarie Percival and their classmate David Banks, are bringing Booker T. Washington’s vision to life with every piece of their Taliaferro Union clothing line, with each piece reflecting the strength, craftsmanship, and self-determination that Washington championed.

The trio told OffTheYard that the brand draws its name from Washington’s middle name, “Taliaferro,” itself derived from the Italian “Tagliaferro,” meaning iron cutter or blacksmith. The Percivals and Banks use this symbol of labor and skill to anchor their designs, linking modern fashion to a legacy of heritage and hard work.

“We are three sons of Tuskegee, not just the university but the city,” said David Banks. Born on campus like his co-founders, Banks noted his great-grandfather was named Taliaferro, a tie that strengthens the family’s historical connection to the school. “We grew up in the shadow of the school, spending summers at camps, going to all the football games and you’re kind of just itching for your turn because your dream is to one day be at the university.”

The Percival twins’ ties to the historic Alabama campus run deep. Their parents are Tuskegee alumni, and the brothers’ childhoods were steeped in campus life.

“We’re from the country, so we all grew up basically on farms,” Alarie Percival told OffTheYard. “My dad was also a Tuskegee University alum, majored in agriculture. So we grew up working the land, growing whatever you can think of under the sun and raising herds of sheep and goats. So we just felt like what Booker T. Washington stood out to do at Tuskegee Normal, which is now Tuskegee University, aligned with us having a similar background in agriculture and our interest in clothing and fine tailoring. We felt like it [Taliaferro Union] was a perfect fit.”

“It’s kind of like that full circle moment,” added Alvin.

Taliaferro Union’s collections take cues directly from Tuskegee’s archives. The Archive Revival Collection brings back century-old uniforms and athletic wear, including collegiate cardigans, chenille-letter pullovers, and yellow tracksuits once worn by the Tuskegee swim team.

“One of Booker T. Washington’s most famous quotes was, ‘Cast down your bucket where you are,’” Banks told OffTheYard. “And that’s kind of what we did here. We didn’t have to search far and wide for inspiration. We literally just searched right under our feet. Tuskegee has such a rich visual archive and legacy that it didn’t take much digging to uncover things that inspired us.”

A standout piece, the Singing Windows Shirt, is inspired by the stained glass of the Tuskegee University Chapel. The windows depict the Israelites’ liberation alongside the African American journey from slavery to freedom.

“This is an iconic piece that sometimes gets overshadowed, because a lot of people are more familiar with the Booker T. Lifting the Veil monument on campus, but not a lot of people acknowledge the stained glass windows, which are encased within the TU chapel,” said Alvin. “So that was kind of a goal for us, which David pieced together beautifully. We were able to just replicate that on a shirt and in a beautiful way.”

The designers say their brand reflects the unique culture of Tuskegee itself, a small town with outsized pride. The energy is most visible during homecoming, where the famed “Ball and Parlay” chant echoes through the stands. The pride in the air, the designers say, rivals or surpasses that of other HBCUs.

“My theory on that is, Tuskegee is a small town in Alabama, there’s no real major city close by, so a lot of what you have to do to entertain yourself is on campus with your peers,” Alvin told OffTheYard. “So I think us not having as much proximity to other things gives us that leg up on camaraderie and school spirit that no other school rivals.”

Taliaferro Union channels that spirit into action, donating a portion of each sale back to the university.

“I think a big part of our mission too is not only just to tell the story, but to do something impactful as well,” said Banks. “So all the support that we get, we put also back into the school.”

Alarie emphasized the brand also addresses a gap in the market for high-quality collegiate apparel.

“When you look at the background of some of these vintage pieces, you learn about the school having a tailoring program,” he told OffTheYard. “They learned to sew their clothes and do all these trades and we kind of got away from that because in today’s times, we’re inundated with fast fashion. I wanted to get back to quality pieces that are meant to last.”

“A big driver for me personally with this project is during undergrad, I didn’t really purchase a lot of school paraphernalia. Some things were okay, but I just didn’t find anything that really spoke to me that I wanted to keep. I thought that as a whole, we could fill a gap of what the market’s missing. That’s really what I think the legacy I’d like to leave is—that we want to put something out there that we can be proud of. Quality driven, that leaves a lasting impression, and scratches the creative bug in all of us,” said Alarie.

“We want to create future heirlooms,” added Banks.

The founders see Taliaferro Union as a bridge between past and present that reverently honors Tuskegee University, the pride of the rapidly growing South.

“It’s about storytelling and being the keepers and tellers of our own story from our own perspective,” Banks told OffTheYard. “It’s just still showing that you can do a thing that you set your mind to.”

“Our clothes speak volumes to the entire storyline of Tuskegee University as well as us and how we help to bridge the gap of sharing that vision of something that we admire,” said Alvin. “Hopefully, people can appreciate that.”

Taliaferro Union is available online and on social media @TaliaferroUnion, where each piece comes stitched with Tuskegee pride.