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Designer Alexander Julian is the man behind the iconic Argyle that appears on the men’s basketball team’s jerseys. He designed the jersey’s at the request of head coach Dean Smith.
Julian, born in Chapel Hill in 1948, is a UNC alum. He grew up working in his father Julian’s clothing store on Franklin Street and at the age of 19 opened his own store, Alexander’s Ambition. The store was short-lived, and Julian left Chapel Hill for New York City in 1975. He is the first American designer to make his own fabrics, and is known for his obsession with dyes and colors. His fabric design is part of the Smithsonian Museum’s permanent collection. The family’s store, Julian’s, remains a Franklin Street staple.
The graduation caps and gowns were redesigned by Julian during the 2010-11 school year. Julian changed the color to a true “Carolina blue” and added a white stole down the front of the robe. The 2011 class, of which Julian’s son is a member, will be the first to wear the new robes.
Franklin Street will be a little less preppy while one of its landmark businesses closes shop temporarily in an anticipation of a move to new headquarters down the street.
Entrepreneurship is a difficult business. Don’t believe it? Well, just ask Alexander Julian, fashion designer and UNC alumnus.
Last night, fashion designer Alexander Julian came back home to Chapel Hill and walked down the red carpet with the Carolina Men of Style.
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