Kendra Scott Is the Real Star of Alabama Rush TikTok

Kendra Scott Is the Real Star of Alabama Rush TikTok

“My earrings are from Kendra Scott….” Photo: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

If you’re reading this, I assume it’s because you, like seemingly everyone else on TikTok, have somehow ended up on Alabama RushTok, a world in which a bunch of mostly white girls with mostly blonde hair detail their #OOTDs each day during the sorority rush process. Candidates are likely making these videos at universities across the country, but in a freak accident of the algorithm, seemingly only those at the University of Alabama are going mega-viral — hence the name. (Though we must pay tribute to Hannah, who carried RushTok on her back at Georgia Southern University.)

(I should also note that Blake, one of the viral rush candidates on TikTok, is actually attending Auburn, which is technically still in Alabama, but a very, very different school; this is important to know because the two have a rivalry so intense that a man once poisoned a bunch of trees on Auburn’s campus after he saw one of their fans put their jersey on a statue of Bear Bryant, Alabama’s most beloved ball coach, outside the Alabama football stadium. This is real and it was a whole thing. You think you understand sports rivalries until you live in Alabama, I’m telling you.)

As someone who graduated from an SEC school myself (Go Gators!) and who spent a couple years living in Tuscaloosa, where the University of Alabama is located, these videos are borderline triggering to me. Sure, I’m in my 30s, but the formula for Southern sorority types hasn’t changed much in the decade-plus since I’ve graduated. It’s all about a Panhellenic-issued T-shirt with a skirt or shorts for day, short and bright dresses for night.

But the most fascinating thing about ‘Bama RushTok to me — besides the fact that it has gone viral at all, itself a mind-blowing byproduct of how TikTok’s algorithm works — is that there is one brand absolutely dominating every single video. The clothing choices come from places as far ranging as Shein and Kohl’s to Lululemon and Tory Burch (also a local boutique called Pants Store, which, confusingly, does not just sell pants), and the shoes encompass everything from Steve Madden flatforms to Golden Goose sneakers; but when it comes to jewelry, nearly every single girl is wearing at least once piece by Kendra Scott. During any given #OOTD outfit explanation video, there’s inevitably a Kendra Scott — or “Kendra,” for the really dedicated fans — credit.

It’s not particularly surprising, considering that the Austin, Texas-based brand’s designs have been a favorite of Southern women pretty much since the brand’s inception back in 2002. Scott’s pieces are relatively affordable and statement-making — a real sweet spot for college sorority girls, which her brand capitalizes on through its college ambassador program, Kendra Scott Gems. And while Kendra Scott may not be a red-carpet or fashion-editorial staple, the brand has built a fanbase so loyal it’s reportedly worth over a billion dollars.

Still, this is the kind of organic, viral moment that most brands can only ever dream of. Judging by the tone of the many spoof and explainer videos that have popped up around the Bama RushTok phenomenon, there are many, many people who have only just discovered Kendra Scott and her dedicated fans through these #OOTD posts. I mean, no shade, but I work in fashion, and I’ve heard Kendra Scott’s name more in the last week than I have in the last 10 years of my career. You can’t pay for that kind of exposure! (Or, well, you can, but it feels very forced and can backfire.)

The brand is now in on the game too, capitalizing on its viral moment with Bama Rush TikTok videos of its own.

“Like the 40 million online viewers, we have been captivated by the #BamaRush #OOTD trend on TikTok and have loved seeing so many women ‘spicing’ up their #OOTD’s wearing their favorite Kendra Scott styles during the University of Alabama Greek Rush,” says Mindy Perry, CMO at Kendra Scott. “Connecting with our customers, exactly where they are, is our top priority at here at Kendra Scott. Being able to engage with thousands of TikTok users by supporting their posts and creating our own #BamaRush videos to immediately join the conversation is an incredible demonstration of the authentic connections we build daily at Kendra Scott with our customers. We’ll continue to be tuning in on TikTok…#RollTide.”

(Please know it very much hurt my University of Florida-alum heart to include that last hashtag.)

It’s more clear than ever that Kendra Scott has an iron grip on the wardrobes of Southern women; this might be the moment that takes the Kendra Scott domination to a national level.

Anyway, good luck to all the folks out there rushing and here’s hoping Kendra Scott cuts y’all some checks, besties!

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Kendra Scott one of eight Texas women named on Richest Self-Made Women list

Designer Kendra Scott attends the 9th annual ACM Honors at The Ryman Auditorium on September 1, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jewelry designer Kendra Scott is one eight Texas business women on Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women 2021.

NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 01: Designer Kendra Scott attends the 9th annual ACM Honors at The Ryman Auditorium on September 1, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Davis/WireImage) (2015 Jason Davis)

Credit: Kendra Scott

New Kendra Scott collection exclusively available at Rodeo Houston | HOUSTON LIFE | KPRC 2

Listed as the 35th richest female in America, Kendra Scott, of Austin, started her business out of a spare bedroom in 2002 after she couldn’t find affordable colored gemstones. The business now has over 100 stores with her jewelry sold at retailers across the country. Since her business’ growth, Scott has appeared in numerous business and fashion magazines and was even a guest shark on Shark Tank where she invested $100,000 in a Missouri City teen’s sauce business.

According to Forbes, private equity firm Berkshire Partners’ 2016 investment in the company valued it at $1 billion. Her majority stake in the company gives her a net worth of $800 million with her company having $360 million in annual sales.

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In February 2021, the company announced that Kendra Scott would be stepping down as CEO, but would continue to be actively working with the company as executive chairwoman.

Also on the list:

Whitney Wolfe Herd - CEO and co-founder of the dating app Bumble.

Thai Lee - CEO of IT company SHI International

Robyn Jones - vice chairmen and co-founder of Goosehead Insurance

April Anthony - founder of Encompass Health Home and Hospice

Lisa Su - CEO of semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices

Kathleen Hildreth - co-founder of aviation-maintenance company M1 Support Services

Gwynne Shotwell - President and COO of SpaceX

You can see a full list of Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women 2021 here.

Kendra Scott to speak at the Lubbock Women’s Club Fall Speaker Series on Oct. 10

LUBBOCK, Texas (PRESS RELEASE) — The following is a press release from the Lubbock Women’s Club:

The Lubbock Women’s Club Historical Foundation and Welborn-Payne Endowment will welcome talented designer, loving mom, passionate philanthropist and driven entrepreneur Kendra Scott as a speaker for the Fall Speaker Series. Scott will speak on Sunday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Frazier Alumni Pavilion on the Texas Tech University campus, 2680 Drive of Champions. Tickets will be available to the public on Thursday, August 12th, from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. These will be sold on a first come, first served basis at the Lubbock Women’s Club, 2020 Broadway.

As a creative mind with a love of natural gemstones, Kendra designed her first collection of jewelry in 2002 with just $500. Determined to maintain growth and preserve the vision of her business, Kendra waited over 10 years to accept outside investments. She has since grown the company to a billion-dollar valuation with over 100 stores nationwide and a thriving e-commerce and wholesale business.

Inspired by the guidance she received during the early days of her business, Kendra actively seeks out opportunities to mentor and support other entrepreneurs, especially women leaders. Beginning September 2019, she is proud to give new life to this passion through a program at the University of Texas at Austin: The Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute. Uniquely positioned to address the challenges women often face in business, this program is committed to building a pipeline of courageous, creative female leaders who will change the world – in business and beyond.

Sue St. Clair, President of the Lubbock Women’s Club said, “We are thrilled to welcome Kendra Scott to Lubbock. If you want to be inspired by a new generation of female leaders, then join us for a fun evening with the Lubbock Women’s Club.”

With Family and Fashion as two core pillars of her business, Kendra maintains a focus on her other core pillar of Philanthropy in all she does. Since 2010, the company has given back over $40 million to local, national and international causes. In 2018 alone, the company gave over $5 million in monetary donations, almost $10 million in in-kind donations, over 2,000 volunteer hours to philanthropic organizations, and partnered with more than 8,000 philanthropic organizations nationwide.

The Women’s Club was established in 1945 to promote, maintain, and support the common good and social welfare of the people of the Lubbock Community, and to bring about civil betterment and social improvements. The Lubbock Women’s Club Historical Foundation was established to preserve, protect and promote the historic and architectural character of the building at 2020 Broadway, and was organized for charitable and educational purposes. In 1979 the building was designated a historical landmark by the City of Lubbock.

In 2006 Ernestine Payne Welborn established upon her death a trust that provides funding to bring in notable speakers for the membership and the community. Speakers who have been part of Welborn-Payne Endowment Community Speaker Series include Barbara Pierce Bush (2021), Texas Country Reporter Bob Phillips (2017), Chef Stephan Pyles (2016), Hoda Kotb (2015), former Dallas Cowboys player Daryl Johnston (2015), Zach Thomas, former Texas Tech All-American and Miami Dolphins football player (2014), Jenna Bush Hager (2014), Joan Lunden (2013), Captain Chesley Sullenberger (2013), Heloise (2012), Former First Lady Barbara Bush (2011), William Shawcross, Official Biographer of the Queen Mother (2010), Former United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (2009), David Gaschen, star of Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera (2009) and Carmen bin Laden, former sister-in-law of Osama bin Laden (2007).

(Press release from the Lubbock Women’s Club)