University of Maryland at College Park - The Diamondback By Melissa Quijada - September 22, 2010
For most students, deciding what Terp apparel to buy comes down to aesthetics and cost, not the living conditions of the textile workers who produced them.
But this semester, students have the opportunity to purchase clothes made by workers in humane conditions. Alta Gracia, a brand of Knights apparel, hit the shelves of the University Book Center for the first time this fall. Knight Apparel revived the defunct Alta Gracia factory, a namesake of a small, poor town in the Dominican Republic.
The clothing is made by unionized workers in the Dominican Republic who are paid a "living wage" for their work, unlike other collegiate apparel manufacturers that have been exposed for using sweatshop-like factories.
The factory pays Dominican workers about $3 an hour, which is 338 percent of the legal minimum wage and covers local living costs to adequately feed and provide shelter for a family, according to the Workers Rights Consortium.
"Our vision is finally a reality," CEO of Knights Apparel Joseph Bozich said in a press release. "We believe doing good can translate into good business."
Members of the university group Feminism Without Borders said this new brand marks progress in their cause for labor equalit around the world and the elimination of sweatshop workers. Read Full Story Here
