The GW Bookstore teamed up with Knights Apparel to offer a new clothing line this fall that plans to pay clothing manufacturers in the Dominican Republic a living wage.
Workers for the new line, Alta Gracia Apparel, will earn about three times more than other apparel workers in the country, with wages based on a study of local living costs, Director of the GW Bookstore Robert Blake said.
Blake said via e-mail that Follett, the company running the bookstore, has introduced the product line in select stores.
“We’re extremely proud to be part of this monumental launch, and hope the campus joins us in this excitement,” Blake said.
Blake said the clothing from Alta Gracia sold at the store – mainly consisting of t-shirts and fleeces – will be made in a factory “that pays its workers a living wage, fully respects their associational rights, and meets or exceeds all University labor standards.”
Blake said the Worker Rights Consortium, an independent monitoring organization for more than 175 affiliated colleges and universities, will verify that workers’ rights are met.
“Follett deeply respects the organizations fighting for these workers rights, and will continue in our pursuit for new and exciting products and programs which echo this very important mission,” he said.
Theresa Haas, a spokeswoman for the WRC, said during a press call Aug. 31 that the Alta Gracia working conditions are in compliance with the expectations of the organization.
“This is a crucial step forward in order to improve wages and working conditions,” Haas said.
Joe Bozich, chief executive of Knights Apparel, said during the conference call that Knights is passionate about the opportunity to market Alta Gracia, explaining that the brand is unlike any other in the way that it benefits its workers.
“This truly can be a pathway out of poverty,” he said. “It can truly be life-changing for the workers and their families.”
Bozich said the company feels obligated to use its business for more than just marketing and selling products by helping people as well.
“Doing good is good business and they’re not mutually exclusive,” Bozich said.
Knights Apparel began working on this project in 2005, but the idea has always been something important and prevalent in the company’s mind, Bozich said.
Donnie Hodge, president of Alta Gracia, acknowledged there was difficulty behind the project, but the company determined an approved list of more than 300 colleges and universities to work with. So far the colleges and universities chosen have been successful.
“We are crazy enough to think we can make this happen and make it successful,” Hodge said.
Teresa Cheng, the international campaigns coordinator for United Students Against Sweatshops, expressed the organization’s support for the new apparel line.
“The project makes it clear that brands can be made that pay workers,” she said. “Once students become aware of what [Alta Gracia] does, university administrators, staff, students, everyone will promote them.”
