Sisters 45 is a small business that creates original tailgate merchandise for Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame students. The business is run by the Paradiso sisters, Vincenza, a current Saint Mary's junior, and Giavanna, a Saint Mary's '21 alumna.
Both sisters are co-owners of the enterprise. Vincenza, who studies design, is in charge of the more creative aspects of the company, including design, while Giavanna handles operational management.
Before Sisters 45, the pair had a smaller clothing company and a necklace-making business. Neither prior pursuit was specifically related to tailgate merchandise like Sisters 45 is, however. Vincenza said the idea for the tailgate merchandise arose in the fall after the sisters talked about how they thought tailgate gear was lacking.
“When Giavanna came to Saint Marys we started painting on denim stuff for game days. We thought the tailgate gear wasn't as cool as it could be. We saw an opportunity to create some fun merch for girls to wear to tailgates,” Vincenza said.
The company has carved out a customer base among Saint Mary's and Notre Dame students. Some of the most popular designs read “I Heart Sam Hartman” and “Saturdays are for the Irish." Giavanna and Vincenza agree that creating the designs came easily.
“The football roster this year at Notre Dame just made coming up with designs easy. Sam Hartman is hot, so there you go,” Giavanna said.
The Paradiso sisters' love for the tri-campus community is apparent in their business. The duo said they were happy to be able to represent Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame through their merchandise. Giavanna explained the unifying effect of clothes on students of both schools.
“Saturdays, gamedays, were my favorite days to be a part of the tri-campus community. We were like, 'We love this, we love Notre Dame football, we love cute tailgate clothes, we love T-shirts.' This is how I thought about it — We're all in this same student section together so let's all look cute,” Giavanna said.
Vincenza expressed a similar joy for the business.
“It makes me proud to be a Saint Mary’s student. I am able to say ‘Yes, I'm a Saint Mary's student and I love that I'm a Saint Mary's student and I wouldn't have it any other way.' It is super fun. Being able to incorporate my love for Saint Mary’s into my artwork is something that I really enjoy,” Vincenza said.
There are five sisters in the Paradiso family. Giavanna is the fifth and Vincenza is the fourth-born. The sisters got the name Sisters 45 from their birth order. The duo believe that working together as sisters contributes to the enthusiasm they have for the business.
“Vinni has skills I don't have," Giavanna said. “I have skills Vinni doesn't have. Sisters 45 is another thing we can connect on and talk about. It is another way that Saint Mary’s has brought us together.”
