Our Promise

Have you ever thought about why prices of clothing in general has gone down tremendously since the invention of fast fashion, but this never applied to your graduation attire? Obviously, the reason is not the cost, even less about design, or brand or technology advancement, but in the distribution process.

Since the beginning of the cap and gown business, there has always been a salesperson who coordinates between the manufacturer of the cap and gowns and the parents and students who in one way or another, are paying for them. There were certainly good reasons for that.

First of all, in the olden days without the convenience of the Internet, finding a trustworthy manufacturer who happily deal with retail customers was no a possibility for schools. Imagine if they would have to contact several factories out of states or even internationally, exchange samples, sizing, and checks all by snail mail, at the risk of scams and other uncertainties.

Secondly, because graduation is a once-in-a-year event, For the relatively smaller quantity they are purchasing, even if the school administrator had the time and resources to connect to the manufacturers, it is difficult a to negotiate a good price (if they even knew what's supposed to be a good price), and therefore not worth the valuable time of a faculty or staff member.

The results? After over a hundred year of this American tradition turned into a highly lucrative market, the graduation market has been tightly controlled by several big companies in the industry. They have an army of salesforce that actively talk to the school administrators, offering graduation packages to students with yearbooks, announcement cards, expensive jewelries-so many things you may or may not need.

More cunningly, even though the majority of their products are the same (there are only so many cap and gown styles across the country unless they are custom-made!), they keep the color codes and styles of each school a secret, and set a tight order deadline way before the graduation ceremony, so they make sure that students can't order anywhere else without risking to show up as the "black sheep" of the graduation ceremony.

TL; DR Caps and Gowns are overpriced, and we are here to change it. Here are what we offer:

Transparent Pricing

Cap and Gown Direct is passionate in helping saving the regalia costs for millions of graduates every year, using our online platform and transparent business model. We have all the resources needed for schools and parents to order online:

Cap and gown styles sorted by color and finish, instead of school names. No secrets kept from anyone.
No salesman to measure on-site, openly available size chart and size collection tools for school administrators.
One-rate, non-tiered pricing. Because the self checkout and self-size selection saves us time and an expensive salesforce, even smaller schools can get the most fair pricing just like large purchasers
A-la-carte purchase. While we do offer some accessories for a discounted price with your cap and gown, we don't enforce any "school package" purchase for parents and students.
Quick delivery, on your terms. Yes, we are talking days, not weeks or months! Most of our products (except custom or backordered products) are ready-in-stock and ships within 1 business day of placing your order. You can choose any speed from standard of 3-5 business days to as fast as next-day shipping!
Worry-free return. Need a different size? Bought a wrong gown? We accept returns in any possible reason. We even send replacements at our costs.

Responsible Sourcing

We follow the responsible sourcing standards, along with our factories and suppliers:

Fair Labor. This includes a variety of aspects such as no child or forced labor, safety and health standard at workplace, and fair compensation and employment relationship.
Traceability of Products. All suppliers should be able to trace raw materials back to country of origin and provide supporting documentation to prove the quality, legitimacy, and fair labor used in producing the products.
Animal Welfare. All our products, including those fabric traditionally made with animal products (such as the velvet on doctoral regalia), are 100% vegan, free of fur, down, leather, and any other animal products.

95% of our products are supplied by members of the Fair-Labor Association, which promotes and protects workers’ rights and to improve working conditions globally through adherence to international standards.

Health & Safety Standard

All cap and gowns and other apparel products greatly exceed the U.S. imflammibility standard for general wearing apparal for children and adults. While the imflammibility standard calls for 2.6 ounce per square yard, our economy (shiny & matte) cap and gown fabric start at 3.3 - 4.1 ounce per square yard. Of course, the toxin or harmful chemicals are controlled to a minimal level and exceeds safety standard for adults and children alike.

Recycled Clothing

Even though all products currently listed on our website are made with new materials, we do offer the option to order the cap and gowns made with recycled plastic bottles as a customized order, starting at $39.99/cap and gown. Say no names, but this is a fraction of what the big companies are charging for similar products. The order will require 1-2 month lead time, and additional discounts can be given based on the quantity and delivery time. If you're interested, please contact us today!

Ready for a change?

If you are a school administrator: Take a look at the variety of products and competitive pricing on our website, or contact us today! We are available by email or phone from 9am to 5pm, Mon - Fri.

If you are a parent or student: Ask your school administrator about Cap And Gown Direct, and if they are able to point out the correct style (color and finish) for the graduation, so you can order through us instead of with the school.