HanesBrands Announces Exclusive Apparel Collaboration with UCLA
HanesBrands (HBI), the world’s largest supplier of collegiate fan apparel, and UCLA announced a multi-year apparel agreement that gives HBI exclusive rights to design, manufacture and distribute high-quality, on-trend Bruins fanwear in the mass retail channel. HBI will develop exclusive collections featuring men’s, women’s, unisex, youth, infant, and toddler fan apparel.
The agreement starts in 2024, ahead of the school’s highly anticipated move to the Big Ten Conference, where it will compete to extend its record-breaking 120 NCAA team national championships.
Recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, HBI is committed to sustainable, transparent manufacturing and has world-class, in-house design expertise and manufacturing proficiency. In addition to the Champion and Hanes brands, the eco-forward Alternative Apparel brand and ComfortWash® brand are included in the company’s collegiate apparel program. Alternative Apparel is known for its luxurious fabrics, and ComfortWash collection features super-soft, vintage-washed tees and sweats made with U.S. grown cotton.
“We are excited to team up with UCLA as the school embarks on its historic move to the Big Ten Conference,” said John Fryer, HanesBrands President of Licensed Sports Apparel. “UCLA has a strong and passionate alumni base, and it will certainly gain new fans as it creates new rivalries across the country. We look forward to developing – for both long-time fans and new fans– responsibly made apparel that drives excitement and engagement.”
UCLA joins 30 other top-tier schools with exclusive, mass-retail channel agreements with HBI, including the University of Michigan, Clemson, and Penn State. In addition, more than a dozen leading universities have primary apparel partnerships with the company, including the University of Texas, The Ohio State University, and the University of Georgia.
The Champion brand has been a fixture in UCLA campus bookstores for decades, and last year the brand partnered through name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements with select UCLA women’s athletes. Softball standout Maya Brady and track-and-field star Sophia Hartwell were part of a distinguished group of female athletic standouts featured in the brand’s “Get It Girl” campaign.
The agreement between HanesBrands and UCLA Trademarks and Licensing, an enterprise of Associated Students UCLA, follows a detailed analysis of the UCLA trademark licensing program and a competitive proposal process completed in conjunction with the university’s exclusive licensing agent, CLC.
