Clothing Company
In 1999, after seeing an official Franklin & Marshall sweatshirt, a company based in Verona, Italy began producing clothing in a vintage 1950s collegiate-style with the words "Franklin and Marshall" on them. F&M alumni began to report seeing F&M merchandise for sale in Europe, which puzzled the college.
In 2001, Tim McGraw posed for publicity photos wearing a "Franklin Marshall Wrestling" t-shirt, one of which was included in the CD booklet for his album Set This Circus Down. When many asked Franklin & Marshall College about its nonexistent connection to the singer, the college investigated and discovered that the Franklin Marshall Clothing company was using its name without permission. In 2003, the college licensed the name to the company so it could sell its products, many of which omit Franklin & Marshall's ampersand, in the United States.
The clothing company, which owns the rights to "Franklin & Marshall" outside the United States, states that its designs are "inspired by the American Vintage College spirit, as exemplified by Franklin & Marshall College." Most of its products are made in Italy and are much more expensive than the Champion-produced licensed apparel the college's bookstore sells. As of 2011 the company has six stores in Athens, Milan, Tokyo, and Paris, and also sells through high-end stores like Selfridges in Britain. Although it no longer sells its products in the United States due to poor sales, in 2010 the company pledged to donate $130,000 to the college's scholarship fund.
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