Meet Preet: The Winner of the USC Purple Store St. Patrick’s Day T-Shirt Contest
What if the merch you see on Purple Store shelves was actually designed by students?
That was the idea behind the USC Purple Store St. Patrick’s Day T-shirt Contest. Instead of designing for students, we wanted to design with them—giving students a platform to create, vote, and ultimately wear something they had a hand in shaping.
And the response did not disappoint: dozens of submissions, hundreds of votes, and one design that took over St. Paddy’s.
The Idea Behind the Contest
The goal was simple:
- Turn students from consumers into creators.
- Provide real ownership over what appears in the store.
- Build merch that actually reflects campus culture.
Because the best designs don’t come from guessing what students want; they come directly from them. This contest wasn’t just about a T-shirt—it was about creating something people feel connected to before they even buy it.
Meet the Winner: Preet Saggu
Fourth-year MedSci student Preet Saggu brought that vision to life. Her design? The now-iconic Silly Goose.
What started as doodles turned into a concept that instantly clicked. Inspired by the Goose mascot and her own sketches, Preet added a St. Patrick’s twist with a four-leaf clover and a clear intention behind it: She wanted to create something people would actually choose to wear.
“I specifically wanted to design something that could be bought in a store because I feel like that was the next level. Everyone in the clubs and the charity soph has to wear it, so I thought it’d be cool to design something that people could choose with their own free will.”
Watch the full interview with Preet here.
From Sketch to Sold Out
Preet’s design didn’t just win the contest. It became one of the most recognizable pieces of merch at St. Paddy’s celebrations. The shirts sold out in less than two weeks, and The Silly Goose was seen across campus, shared across socials, and loved by the student body. And this is just the beginning. The USC Purple Store will continue to open the door for student creators to shape what’s on the shelves.
Expect more opportunities, more collaboration, and more designs that feel like us. Because at the end of the day, the Purple Store is built by students, for students—and Preet’s Silly Goose is proof of what happens when you make that vision real.
