Brand · American coastal apparel est. 2006

Southern Tide

Southern preppy, born in South Carolina — built around the Skipjack polo.

Southern Tide
Re-checked daily
Southern Tide was founded in 2006 in Greenville, South Carolina, by Allen Stephenson — the brand is owned by Atlanta-based Oxford Industries.

Stephenson dreamed up the idea in college while studying abroad in Italy, pitched it in a senior-year speech class, and left school to chase it. After researching how a polo is built, he landed on the finished product: the Southern Tide Skipjack Polo.

Growth came quickly. In 2011 Forbes named the company to its 'America's Most Promising Companies' list, and Inc. ranked it the fastest-growing apparel company in the country — and the second fastest-growing company in South Carolina that year.

The Southern Tide pieces worth knowing

Men's River Rock Flipjacks
Flipjacks
Men's River Rock Flipjacks
River Rock Flipjacks carry Southern Tide’s dock-to-weekend mood in leather sandals.
$69.50 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Skipjack Polo Shirt
Original polo
Skipjack Polo Shirt
The founding polo still anchors Southern Tide’s coastal-prep wardrobe.
$98 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Striped Skipjack Polo
Striped Skipjack
Striped Skipjack Polo
A striped take on the Skipjack polo sharpens the brand’s easiest staple.
$98 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Original Skipjack Short Sleeve Pocket T-Shirt
Pocket tee
Original Skipjack Short Sleeve Pocket T-Shirt
A cotton pocket tee turns the Skipjack logo into everyday off-duty shorthand.
$36 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Long Sleeve Original Skipjack T-shirt
Graphic classic
Long Sleeve Original Skipjack T-shirt
The long-sleeve Skipjack tee carries the brand’s most familiar back graphic into cooler days.
$36 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Skipjack Boxer Short
Skipjack basics
Skipjack Boxer Short
The Skipjack boxer brings the logo vocabulary into the brand’s classic basics.
$28 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Channel Marker 7" Short
Channel Marker
Channel Marker 7" Short
Channel Marker shorts keep Southern Tide’s chino language crisp, colorful and coastal.
$39.50 at SOUTHERN TIDE
brrr°®-die 8" Performance Short - Hazelnut Khaki
Cooling short
brrr°®-die 8" Performance Short - Hazelnut Khaki
The brrr°-die short updates Southern Tide’s warm-weather uniform with performance cooling.
$108 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Maravilla Coastal Breeze® Sport Shirt
Coastal Breeze
Maravilla Coastal Breeze® Sport Shirt
A Coastal Breeze sport shirt translates the brand’s coastal polish into heat-ready shirting.
$148 at SOUTHERN TIDE
5" Caroline Short
Women’s short
5" Caroline Short
The Caroline short gives Southern Tide’s chino vocabulary a relaxed women’s fit.
$78 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Alicia Dress
Performance dress
Alicia Dress
The Alicia Dress brings polished resort ease to the performance side of Southern Tide.
$158 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Demi Interlock Dress
Cotton shirtdress
Demi Interlock Dress
The Demi Interlock Dress makes the collared shirtdress feel soft, clean and coastal.
$128 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Nina Denim Jumpsuit
Soft denim
Nina Denim Jumpsuit
Nina turns denim into a breezy one-piece silhouette for the brand’s women’s line.
$158 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Skipjack Hat
Logo cap
Skipjack Hat
The embroidered Skipjack cap is Southern Tide’s easiest logo signature.
$35 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Caddie Braided Belt
Golf belt
Caddie Braided Belt
The Caddie belt finishes the brand’s golf-leaning looks with stretch and color.
$88 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Caroline Aviator Sunglasses
Aviator
Caroline Aviator Sunglasses
Caroline Aviators extend the coastal wardrobe into sun-ready eyewear.
$125 at SOUTHERN TIDE
Southern Tide Coral
Coral fragrance
Southern Tide Coral
Southern Tide Coral bottles the label’s fresh coastal mood as a fragrance.
$80 at SOUTHERN TIDE

Southern Tide shopping FAQ

Is the Southern Tide Skipjack Polo worth it?+

The Skipjack Polo is the shirt Southern Tide was effectively built around, so it is the most natural place to start with the label. Shoppers tend to praise it for soft pique cotton and a clean classic cut rather than loud branding, which suits the brand's understated coastal lean. If you want one piece that captures what the label is about, this is it.

Is Southern Tide good quality?+

Southern Tide leans on its polos and woven shirts as its strongest category, and buyers generally rate the make and feel highly. As with most apparel labels, quality is most consistent in the core staples rather than every seasonal piece, so judge by the specific item. The brand's rapid early growth, recognised by both Forbes and Inc., suggests it earned a loyal following quickly.

Southern Tide or Vineyard Vines, which should I buy?+

Both sit in the American preppy-coastal space, but they pull in slightly different directions. Southern Tide draws on a Southern coastal sensibility and an understated, softer palette, which is the easier pick if you prefer relaxed everyday classics. Choose the one whose aesthetic and fit you actually reach for, since both are well regarded in this lane.

What is Southern Tide best known for?+

The brand is best known for the Skipjack Polo, the shirt that launched it. Founder Allen Stephenson researched the construction of polo shirts after dropping out of college, and that finished product became the Skipjack. It remains the signature piece people associate with the label.

Who founded Southern Tide and when?+

Southern Tide was founded in 2006 in Greenville, South Carolina, by Allen Stephenson. According to Stephenson, the idea came together while he was studying abroad in Italy during college. He presented the concept in a speech class at the University of South Carolina, then left college to pursue it.

Where is Southern Tide based?+

The brand was founded and is rooted in Greenville, South Carolina, which feeds its Southern coastal identity. It is now owned by Atlanta-based Oxford Industries. That Southern home base is central to how the label presents itself.

Who owns Southern Tide now?+

Southern Tide is owned by Oxford Industries, the Atlanta-based apparel group. Being part of a larger company gives it wider retail reach beyond its founding region. The brand identity, though, still traces back to Allen Stephenson's original South Carolina concept.

What does the Skipjack name and logo refer to?+

The Skipjack is the name carried by Southern Tide's signature polo, the product that defined the brand from the start. It anchors the label's coastal, Southern character rather than a fashion-led look. If you are buying into the brand, the Skipjack line is the heritage thread to follow.

How fast did Southern Tide grow after launch?+

Very fast for a young apparel label. In 2011, Forbes listed it at number 27 on its annual "America's Most Promising Companies," and the same year it ranked 73rd on the Inc. 500 of fastest-growing American firms, where it was also named the fastest-growing apparel company. It made South Carolina's fastest-growing company lists for several years running.

Is Southern Tide an American brand?+

Yes. Southern Tide is an American apparel company, founded in 2006 in Greenville, South Carolina. Its whole identity is built on a Southern, coastal American lifestyle. That regional rootedness is a big part of its appeal to fans.

When is the best time to buy Southern Tide?+

Because the core polos and shirts stay in the line for years, availability of your size matters more than chasing a calendar date. End-of-season windows are generally the easiest time to find older colours of seasonal pieces. For a staple like the Skipjack, buy when your size is in stock rather than waiting.