The wearing of academic scarves is a tradition found at many colleges and universities in English-speaking countries, and particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Sets of two or more coloured stripes have traditionally been used as part of the distinctive visual identity of these institutions. The scarves are usually made of Saxony wool and traditionally 6 feet (c. 2m) long.[1] The traditional vertical stripes were (according to one source) adopted first at the University of Cambridge during the Second World War when material scarcity created scarves made of strips of wool sewn together rather than woven into the fabric.[2]
The colours are often derived from the colours of the official coat of arms and/or the varsity colours, and are used in clothing and symbols of all kinds, from ties to trophies, but notably in the long woollen winter scarves that students and alumni wear to show their pride in their institutions. Some universities have different scarves for different faculties and even for undergraduates and postgraduates. Some may even have a 'combination scarf' where one side is in the university's colours and the other the faculty, etc. colours. Traditionally, academic scarves would not have further embroidery on them, such as arms or logos, as the stripes are sufficient to identify the scarf's origins and affiliation; however, at some universities such as Cambridge it has become usual for scarves to be embroidered with the college arms. Furthermore, universities might change their design and colours from time to time, usually during re-branding exercises, or if there is not an 'official' version that has been widely used.[citation needed] For example the University of Manchester was created in 2004 by merging two previous institutions, and adopted the new colours of purple and gold, along with changing scarf colours.
At some universities, in addition to collegiate scarves, there are also several non-collegiate scarves which have a well-established meaning. For example, those representing the university in sport may be entitled to wear a particular scarf, depending on their level of achievement, or a university department or club may have its own scarf. In addition, some colleges and universities have (for example) separate scarves for senior clubs such as their Boat Clubs.[b]
Academic scarves are to be distinguished from other types of scarves that are officially sold by the institution themselves which often use different colours and are embroidered with logos and other emblem, or designed/made differently to traditional academic scarves.[citation needed]
Scarf colours: three equal stripes of Cambridge blue and navy, with navy in the middle on one side of the scarf, and Cambridge blue in the middle on the other
Scarf colours: black, with two equally-spaced narrow stripes of red edged with yellow
Scarf colours: cherry pink, with two equally-spaced narrow white stripes
Scarf colours: blue, with two equally-spaced narrow sets of three adjacent red, Cambridge blue and yellow stripes, with the red stripes closest to the edge of the scarf, and the yellow stripes closest to the centre
Scarf colours: light blue with three equally-spaced narrow stripes, the outer stripes of Cambridge blue and wider, the central stripe of white and narrower
Scarf colours: three equal stripes of red and black, with red in the middle on one side of the scarf, and black in the middle on the other
Scarf colours: royal purple, with two equally-spaced narrow white stripes
Scarf colours: eight alternating stripes of black and blue of varying width, with wide black and narrow blue stripes transitioning towards narrow black and wide blue stripes across the face of the scarf
Scarf colours: navy, with two equally-spaced narrow lavender stripes
Scarf colours: three equally-spaced narrow stripes separating two black areas towards the edge and two blue areas in the middle, the outer stripes of yellow and the central stripe of red
Scarf colours: dark green, with two equally-spaced narrow white stripes
Scarf colours: from one edge of the scarf to the other, the first third grey, then three equal stripes of blue, gold and grey, and then the final third blue
Scarf colours: burgundy, with narrow pearl pink stripes
Scarf colours: two equal halves of dark-red and navy
Scarf colours: navy, with three equally-spaced narrow stripes, the outer stripes of yellow and slightly narrower, the central stripe of red and slightly wider
Scarf colours: black, with two equally-spaced narrow white stripes
Scarf colours: navy, with two sets of narrow triple stripes a quarter scarf-width in from either edge, each set of triple stripes of red, white and brown from left to right
Scarf colours: five equal stripes alternating navy and dark red, with navy at the edges and in the centre
Scarf colours: black, with two purple stripes each a quarter of the scarf wide, separated from one another by a central black area itself a quarter of the scarf wide
Scarf colours: navy, with a wide central stripe of green, and a narrow yellow stripe through each of the navy areas to either side
Scarf colours: navy, with a wide central stripe of red, and a narrow yellow stripe through each of the navy areas to either side
Scarf colours: navy, with two narrow double-stripes a quarter of a scarf-width in from either edge, the left of each double-stripe of white and the right of purple
Scarf colours: maroon, with two equally-spaced mustard pinstripes
Scarf colours: navy, with three equally-spaced stripes of white
Scarf colours: Two narrow double-stripes a fifth of a scarf-width in from either edge, the left of each double-stripe of white and the right of yellow, with the background areas to the left of each double-stripe of blue, and to the right of black, such that a black and a blue area meet in the centre of the scarf.
Scarf colours: black, with three equally-spaced thin stripes, the central stripe of red and the outer stripes of yellow
Scarf colours: green, with two narrow yellow stripes a quarter of a scarf-width in from either edge
Scarf colours: navy, with two narrow yellow stripes a quarter of a scarf-width in from either edge
Scarf colours: black, with two grey-blue stripes a quarter of a scarf-width in from either edge, each stripe edged with a yellow pinstripe on the right-hand side only
Scarf colours: navy, with two equally-spaced stripes of red edged with yellow
