The Reversible Collar Company

Mt. Auburn Street offers so much more than Boloco and final clubs. Tucked beside a parking lot, a large red brick building with the hanging sign "Harvard Square Shiatsu" goes unnoticed. However, this overlooked site is actually a historic gem. A bronze plaque immortalizes the building as the former home to one of the stranger trends in fashion. Welcome to the Reversible Collar Company Building.

What exactly is a reversible collar? According to a 1956 Crimson article, a reversible collar is made of paper and "attached to a neckband shirt, worn once, turned over, worn again, and then thrown away." Initially inspired by a shortage of cloth during the Civil War, the company, affectionately known as "The Reversible," was created by a Harvard alumnus in 1866. At the height of their business, the Reversible was producing about 3,000,000 items monthly. Though the trend gained popularity when it became a staple in the Navy Uniform, it was doomed to ultimately fall from fashion grace—think Crocs and knit ponchos.

The determined company persevered until they were the only surviving reversible collar factory. Shockingly, there was not much of a market for the collars in the late 20th century, and the company was forced to shut down. For those holding on to the trend, Amazon Drygoods Collars in Davenport, Iowa still produces paper collars, using the same machine from our very own Harvard Square Reversible Collar Company. They may be on to something. Fashion trends repeat themselves: boho skirts, flapper dresses, neon leggings. Why not the reversible collar?