| Southern Marsh Collection | |
| Type: | Private |
| Founder: | Matthew Valiollahi and Stephen Smith |
| Founded: | 2008 |
| Location: | Baton Rouge, LA |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Industry: | Clothing and Accessories |
| Homepage: | Southern Marsh Collection |
Southern Marsh Collection, also known as Southern Marsh, is a clothing and accessories retailer headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Founded in 2007 by Matthew Valiollahi and Stephen Smith, the brand markets a variety of shirts, shorts, pants, outerwear and accessories that aim to represent Southern culture.
In 2007, founders Matthew Valiollahi and Stephen Smith, both students of Louisiana State University at the time, decided to create a brand of T-shirts and casual wear inspired by Southern style. As a senior in his final year, Matthew approached his friend Stephen to design the brand, from which came the trademark mallard logo and general aesthetic of the company.[1]
At first, the two simply sold their designs, but then moved into designing fabrics from the ground up. Walter Morales, then an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University, helped the pair refine their business plan.
Currently, the company partners with over 700 retailers across the United States, and has factory operations throughout Asia.[2] In addition, the company has expanded its sales to online shoppers, and[3] also manufactures licensed college apparel. In August, 2015, the company was listed as #689[4] in Inc. Magazine's 5,000 fastest growing companies in America.[5] In October 2018, the store's first brick and mortar opened at Market Street in The Woodlands, TX.
Originally, the brand sold only T-shirts. Now, the company markets a variety of clothing and accessories including, but not limited to: shorts, pants, dress shirts, jackets, pullovers, polos, bags, performance clothing, and hats. Their product line has significantly grown since 2007, mainly due to sizable revenue growth[6] allowing for expansion. Southern Marsh clothing can be found at many high-end retailers across the country, like Apple's Limited[7] in Poplarville, MS.