College Liquidation didn’t begin as a traditional nonprofit. It started as a simple test — a question born from real-life experience working with students every day.

While growing a direct marketing firm, we hired hundreds of college students — many of whom showed up without access to professional clothing, let alone stylish or brand-name pieces. We saw firsthand how what a student wears can affect how they show up, how they speak, how they carry themselves — and how they’re perceived.

At first, we thought the solution might be launching a luxury student-focused clothing brand. The idea was simple: use the margins from our marketing firm to subsidize stylish apparel for students. That vision became Valo the Label.

But before launching a brand, we needed to understand what students actually wanted. So we took it to the campuses — UCI, SDSU, and others — running face-to-face pop-ups to test everything:

* What styles do students gravitate toward?
* What do they think of pricing?
* What fabric textures do they like?
* Where should logos go?
* Do they even want another brand — or something else entirely?

These pop-ups weren’t just experiments — they became real-time listening labs. We weren’t just selling; we were learning directly from the students.

What we found was powerful:

* Students were hungry for affordable, stylish clothing
* Most found campus bookstores wildly overpriced and outdated
* Variety and self-expression were lacking
* Clubs and RSOs were struggling to raise funds or access support
* Students were lining up, asking questions, and pre-ordering before products even existed
With nothing but samples, concept pieces, and student curiosity, we gained:
* Over 1,500 social media followers
* Over 300 presales
* And deep insight into what students really needed

Then came a pivotal moment.

A contact in the liquidation space reached out with access to real brand-name merchandise — Nike, Adidas, Chubbies, and more. Suddenly, the idea shifted:
Why build a new brand right now… when we could use the excess of existing brands to create impact faster?
So we pivoted. Instead of launching a premium fashion label first, we launched a student-first nonprofit, sourcing liquidated, overstocked, and donated goods from trusted suppliers and redirecting them to campuses at deeply discounted prices.

From there, the mission clarified:

* Students need access.
* Clubs and RSOs need funding.
* The planet doesn’t need more waste.

College Liquidation was born — not as a business plan, but as a response to the truths students were living.

Today, we run both campus pop-ups and a national online store, using our growing reach to:

* Distribute deeply discounted name-brand goods
* Raise money for student orgs
* Divert high-quality merchandise from landfills
* Empower students with real-world leadership roles
* Redefine dignity and equity in student life

And we still keep the same mindset:

Ask students. Listen carefully. Build what they actually need.
This is more than a clothing distribution model — it’s a scalable, student-powered system of access, equity, and agency.
And it’s only just beginning.
 Coming Soon: Valo the Label
A brand born from the same student-centered vision behind College Liquidation, Valo the Label was originally imagined as a luxury apparel line with a deeper purpose: to give students access to elevated style without the premium price tag.
Now, after proving our impact through thousands of on-campus interactions, we’re bringing Valo back — this time, with a sharper mission and the infrastructure to match.
Valo the Label will offer limited-edition, student-influenced collections designed to fund scholarships, support nonprofit growth, and expand our network of style, access, and sustainability.
Stay tuned — the next evolution of campus fashion is on its way.