CSB senior dominates campus clothing scene

On Case Day this Saturday, alongside students clutching their boxes of Busch Light and Truly Lemonades, you may also notice that many adorn the same hand-drawn designed T-shirts. These shirts— and many other products—are the brainchild of Claire Fredrickson, who runs the campus-famous apparel line University Drip.

With nearly four years under its belt, the legacy of University Drip began the summer before Fredrickson entered college at St. Ben’s. At the time, the biggest tool at her disposal was a Cricut, a cutting machine that she previously used for painting and stencil projects. Once she realized she could make clothes with it, she began experimenting with personalized collegiate designs.

“I started making clothes because all of my friends were going to different colleges, and I wanted to get them a little gift. [After I gave them out], people just kept asking me to make them things,” Fredrickson said.

Her friends loved the designs, and Fredrickson had previous business experience selling scrunchies.

“I thought, ‘maybe I should start a little business doing this.’ And so I did,” Fredrickson said.

It’s perhaps no surprise that Fredrickson chose to major in global business. Her knowledge on business-related matters is amplified through her involvement at the Donald McNeely Center, her internship with Greenline Marketing and her role in the Entrepreneurship Program, through which she recently traveled to Vietnam. She has skills in running social media, event planning, writing blogs and art—which is where University Drip coincides with her love of fashion. As Fredrickson started college, the demand for her products grew, specifically within the CSB+SJU undergraduates.

“A really important part of my business…is the connection it has to the student body and the people who are here,” Fredrickson said.

Since 2020, University Drip has gone through a variety of changes. Fredrickson had originally worked with Printify to produce her designs, but she realized that the profit margins weren’t big and the quality control was hard since her products would ship directly to the customer. She now uses a distributor, Duluth Screen Printing, whom she found through the McNeely Center. She has also spent the last year developing her website, universitydrip.com.

In addition to CSB+SJU apparel, Fredrickson used to create apparel for surrounding colleges, including the University of Minnesota, the University of Iowa and the University of St. Thomas. Currently, Fredrickson only does apparel for other schools upon request.

“I’ve kinda narrowed it down to the specific niche of CSB+SJU for now… I can create better designs when I have a focus. The more your designs can resonate with a specific group of people, the better they’re going to sell,” Fredrickson said.

Fredrickson works 10 to 30 hours a week sustaining her website, coming up with detailed designs, planning and executing photoshoots, communicating with others and doing her own finances. “The nice thing about running your own business is that the success amounts to how much time you’ve put into it,” Fredrickson said.

Because the CSB+SJU Bookstores already have a plethora of schoolspirited apparel, Fredrickson’s latest designs mostly cater around CSB+SJU traditions that administration does not sponsor.

“[I wanted to] tell the story of what it’s like to be a part of the St. Joe community outside of just what’s on campus,” Fredrickson said.

Two of her recent designs include the ‘Party Map’ and ‘Case Day ‘24’ collections, which both come in the form of variously colored T-shirts, hoodies and crewnecks. The Party Map collection depicts student-occupied houses in St. Joseph, as well as other location identifiers such as roads, bars, and restaurants. With 48 bubbly hand-drawn motifs, the Party Map design boasts 12 different colors—a highly unusual amount. Fredrickson kept costs down by using a new technology that allows direct printing from the digital version to the actual product.

“I was able to still run with that design, as opposed to having to change all the coloring and only getting to use four or five colors for the same price,” Fredrickson said.

Mary Bruno of Bruno Press helped Fredrickson with the Party Map design, offering helpful critique and suggestions. Fredrickson, who has taken several art classes, stressed the importance of secondary opinions.

“Any business isn’t built on one person; it’s built on collaborating,” Fredrickson said.

The hand-drawn aspect of Fredrickson’s designs may contribute to their popularity. As the quality and originality of her designs have increased, so have her sales and subsequent profit. She uses an app titled ProCreate through her iPad to draw her designs.

“I love doing hand-drawn stuff with how much new tech is coming out. Authenticity is still crucial,” Fredrickson said.

As much as the CSB+SJU campuses are dotted with red and white, they’re also filled with students wearing Fredrickson’s designs, complete with a small dripping UD logo at the bottom. This visibility fills the soon-to-be-graduate with gratitude, especially for everyone who made University Drip what it is.

“I hope students realize that they can take whatever ideas are in their head and make them happen,” Fredrickson said.