European Clothiers Cash In on U.S. College Ties

Franklin & Marshall College may not have the cachet of Yale University in the eyes of many Americans, but for trendy European teens the Pennsylvania liberal arts school easily trumps the Ivy League icon. The school’s moniker is emblazoned on sweatshirts and other garb sold by an Italian company of the same name that Europe’s youth can’t seem to get enough of. While few of those wearing the clothes know about the school, “I don’t think they care,” says Entheo Leung, a salesman at London’s Selfridges department store, which sells the clothing line in a display with decades-old pictures of F&M athletic teams. “They just know it’s a brand everyone is wearing, and they want it.”