The University of Alabama was one of 32 colleges selected to be a part of designer Dooney and Bourke’s new NCAA accessories collection.

“Dooney and Bourke is known for being pretty high-quality, and I do like some of the pieces,” said Olivia Brick, a junior majoring in political science.

Founded in 1975 as a company that specialized in belts, Dooney and Bourke branched out into handbags with the launch of the Equestrian bag made of bridle and leather. Historically, the brand’s demographic has been primarily older women.

Dooney and Bourke is one of the only designer brands that provides handbags representing NCAA teams.

“I think it is a pretty cool idea for them to have a collegiate line,” said Lilly Shneibaum, a senior majoring in marketing. “I like the solid ones a lot but I am not really a fan of the products that have the A all over them. I know that is part of their ‘look’ to have the repeating letters but I like something more simple.”

The collection consists of wallets, handbags, crossbodies and backpacks. From solid crimson to a print featuring the script A, there is a lot of variety.

“The bags covered in Alabama logos are a little too much for me,” Brick said. “I can definitely see moms and older Alabama fans loving them though!”

With the launch of its collegiate line, it is unclear whether Dooney and Bourke is targeting college-aged students. The price of the line’s bags and restrictions on game days, which prohibit any non-clear purses from exceeding 4 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ are two deterrents for this collection’s success among college students.  

“I feel like most students wouldn’t buy them because of the price,” Brick said.

“It’s just a shame because we can’t take bags into the stadium on game day any more.”

Prices of the collection’s items range from $48 to $262. The lower-priced pieces include accessories such as cosmetic cases and wristlets. The higher-priced items include the solid leather tote bag and backpack.

“I personally would never pay that much for glorified college merchandise,” said Lizzy Norris, a junior majoring in English. “They are trying to capitalize on the huge fan base the football team has, which isn’t a horrible idea, but it’s just not cute.”