The UT Bookstore is now a proud vendor of Alta Gracia apparel, an overseas manufacturer known for its exemplary working conditions.
Students petitioned for UT to provide Alta Gracia apparel earlier this year, and they are thrilled about the arrival.
“We are passionate about helping this product line succeed,” said Tommi Jamison, marketing manager of the bookstore. “We are working hard to get exposure for this product line, and we want students to know about it.”
The Alta Gracia merchandise includes four designs of men’s shirts and four designs of women’s shirts. The bookstore has free pamphlets on display about the products, and the bookstore staff is being trained about the company.
Alta Gracia pays its factory workers in the town of Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic, a living wage, which is enough to feed, clothe, house, and educate their families, and is more than three times the standard apparel industry wage.
Alta Gracia is approved by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), an independent, non-profit labor rights organization known for its monitoring of labor practices in the apparel industry. Alta Gracia products carry a WRC tag confirming the products were sewn in a factory that supports workers’ rights.
Campus organizations currently involved with UT’s Alta Gracia Campaign are Amnesty International, the Progressive Student Alliance, Tyson House Student Ministries, the Food Policy Council, and Lambda Student Union.
Alta Gracia apparel is sold at more than 600 college campuses nationwide. The company provides workers with a living wage and way out of poverty. Visit altagraciaapparel.com for more information.
Visit the UT Bookstore or go to shop.utk.edu to purchase Alta Gracia products.
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C O N T A C T :
Tommi Jamison (tjaimison@utk.edu, 865-974-1078)