Broken threads: 5 things to know about troubled college clothing industry
HAYLEIGH COLOMBO
College apparel represents a multi-billion-dollar industry. Buying a $35 shirt allows you to blend into a sea of fellow fans on game day. But underneath the surface lies a harsh reality behind how that $35 shirt made it onto store shelves.
The global apparel supply chain that powers the multibillion-dollar university logo gear is both fascinating and complex. But consumers may not think about how overseas garment workers are treated when they purchase a new T-shirt with their alma mater’s logo on it.
Garment workers making college logo gear for top U.S. universities deal with long hours, labor rights violations, wage theft and poverty wages on a regular basis. Can universities do more?
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Virginia Tech licensed apparel for sale in the Lane Stadium Hokie Shop prior to the start of the Pittsburgh Virginia Tech football game in Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.
This $35 Nike T-shirt featuring the University of North Carolina was made El Salvador, where a garment worker was likely paid no more than 21 cents to make it.
Hayleigh Colombo is a member of the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team. Kimberly Wethal, Brendan Denison, Timothy Stanley and Faith Redd contributed to this report.
This $35 Nike T-shirt featuring the University of North Carolina was made El Salvador, where a garment worker was likely paid no more than 21 cents to make it.
Virginia Tech licensed apparel for sale in the Lane Stadium Hokie Shop prior to the start of the Pittsburgh Virginia Tech football game in Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.
