Since 1876, brown and white have been Lehigh’s official colors.

The inspiration?

Women’s hosiery – or, so the story goes.

According to an article published in The Brown and White in October 1929, brown-and-white striped stockings were a prevailing fashion for women in 1876. With Lehigh’s male students “in a quandry” over what to select as the school colors, one “artistic and gallant” student who admired the color combination in the hosiery made the suggestion when the topic arose at a meeting of the student body.  The students, who were meeting to also organize a boat club and athletics at the university, adopted the suggestion. And the rest, as they say, is history.