While looking Penn State good just got easier, being sweatshop conscious may have just gotten harder, some student anti-sweatshop activists said.

Victoria's Secret PINK line and the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) joined together July 1 to release a new PINK Collegiate line of merchandise. Penn State is among the 33 colleges and universities featured in the new line, according to a CLC press release.

While a new line of clothing may bring some excitement, some members of Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) are upset Penn State has signed on with a company that has been accused of using questionable workers' rights practices.

Last November, the National Labor Committee released a report detailing Victoria's Secret's alleged abuse of its foreign guest workers in its D.K. Garments factory in Irbid, Jordan. According to the report, workers were forced to make one garment every 3.3 minutes, for which they were paid four cents. This amounts to less than 3/10 of 1 percent the retail cost of a $14 Victoria's Secret bikini, according to the report.

SLAP/USAS members Megan Quinn (senior-biology) and Anna Brewer (sophomore-comparative literature and painting) and SLAP President Tim Shannon agree the joining of CLC and Victoria's Secret is further proof Penn State should take a stance on its expectations of worker treatment in companies branding Penn State apparel.

In a joint statement released by Penn State, the CLC and Victoria's Secret to The Daily Collegian yesterday, Victoria's Secret said it has done its part in adhering to labor standards.

"Victoria's Secret [takes] corporate responsibility very seriously and [has] developed a number of policies and protocols that are designed to assure compliance with all applicable laws and best practices, including those relating to labor standards," the statement read.

When told of the National Labor Committee report, Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz referred back to the information provided in the joint statement.

Penn State had no reservations about entering into the contract with CLC and Victoria's Secret PINK, Mountz said.

"The CLC checked into things, and I know what they do is make sure that the companies they are working with adhere to the policies and protocols," Mountz said. "Since they are ensuring that these companies are using the best business practices and CLC was comfortable, that was good enough for us."

It's not just Victoria's Secret, but all companies that do not supply students with sweat-free alternatives, particularly university apparel, that are a problem, Brewer said.

"That's why it is so important that [Penn State President Graham] Spanier sign on to the [Designated Suppliers Program], which will demand that companies like Victoria's Secret use good business practices," she said.

The DSP requires apparel to be made in factories where workers' rights are protected, according to Collegian archives. Brewer added the DSP would regulate the factories and ensure the apparel is not being made in sweatshops.

Though outspoken on sweatshop labor, Quinn admitted sweatshop-free shopping is difficult and even she shops at Victoria's Secret. She hesitated to recommend any brands, because many companies self-regulate through third parties, which certify their fair trade practices. But because the companies are paying the third parties, conflicts of interest exist, she said.

"I haven't really found a brand that I trust," she said. "Overall the garment industry has a terrible history of workers' rights policies."

Quinn added she's not trying to say people can't buy clothes.

"I'm just saying it's difficult as consumers to get good information on what we're buying," she said.

Brewer said most members of SLAP/USAS shop at the same stores as other Penn State students and faculty.

"We still wear the blue and white," she said. "Mainly because there are no outlets for sweatshop-free Penn State clothes."

Today, most clothing companies use a system of subcontracting, Shannon said. This means companies hand over all responsibilities for production of goods to whoever bids the lowest price, he said.

Once a company has found the cheapest location, cutting costs comes down to two choices, Shannon said, manufacturing in even cheaper locations or cutting labor wages and standards. Most companies opt for the later, he said.

"I do my best to buy stuff that's sweat-free. While the parental units are starting to buy fair-trade stuff, I have a lot of sweat-made clothing," he said. "Anti-sweatshop kids buying sweatshop clothing doesn't detract from the fact that sweatshops suck and we shouldn't be buying from them."

One good option for purchasing sweatshop-free clothing would be to order online, Shannon said.

"You have to work to find sweat-free clothing, but it's out there," he said. "Keep your head up when you're in cities, and use Google to search sweat-free clothing, or union-made clothing, or fair trade clothing, and see what you can get."