Univ. Of Michigan Latest School To End Apparel Deal With Russell

UM Says Russell Violated Code, Failed To Guarantee Basic Rights Of Workers

The Univ. of Michigan (UM) yesterday announced that it was "ending its apparel licensing agreement with the Russell Corporation, becoming the 12th university to do so in response to the company's decision to close a unionized factory in Honduras," according to Steven Greenhouse of the N.Y. TIMES. UM officials said that an agreement under which Russell "made T-shirts, sweatshirts and fleeces with university logos would end as of March 31 because Russell had violated the university's code of conduct calling on licensees to guarantee the basic rights of workers." UM joined a group of schools that includes Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, Purdue and Rutgers that "curtailed agreements with Russell."  UM Dir of Public Affairs Kelly Cunningham said that the school ended Russell's license "on the recommendation of the university president's Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights." Fruit of the Loom Senior VP/Marketing, Advertising & Communications John Shivel, whose company is the parent for Russell, said that it "could not grant an interview about the universities' decisions" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/24). In Michigan, Dave Gershman noted this is the "first time U-M has cut ties with an apparel manufacturer since a 2003 dispute with Land's End." That license was "renewed several months later" (ANN ARBOR NEWS, 2/24).

FASHION FORWARD: The Duke men's basketball team wore an alternate Nike jersey Sunday night during their game against Wake Forest. The back of the jersey featured an embedded design inspired by architecture on the Duke campus. The school will wear the same jerseys during their March 3 game against Florida State and a road version against the Univ. of North Carolina on March 8 (Duke Univ.). In Charlotte, Ken Tysiac wrote the uniforms "use Nike technology with an engineered mesh designed to provide 'zoned cooling' and are purported to reduce the weight of the jersey" by 31% (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/23).