Global threads: Ragin’ Cajun Store offers Dominican Republic brand

News – The Vermilion From left to right: Camille Carloss, Cole Funderburk, Briley Higginbotham and Danielle Cormier are the Catholic Relief Services student ambassadors responsible for having Alta Gracia apparel introduced to the Ragin’ Cajuns Store. Photo by Karley Nugent/The Vermilion
The Ragin’ Cajuns Store on St. Mary Boulevard introduced free-trade apparel to its catalog following requests from multiple student organizations.
Catholic Relief Services Student Ambassadors, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette organization geared towards to building greater consciousness of global issues, asked the university bookstore, as well as university President E. Joseph Savoie, Ed.D., last semester to substitute one-third of merchandise with products from Alta Gracia Apparel.
Briley Higginbotham, a junior English major and CRS president, said because UL Lafayette includes so many brands globally and locally, no brand in the store will take up one-third of the bookstore racks.
Based out of the Dominican Republic and owned by college-logo apparel company Knights Apparel, Alta Gracia prides itself in paying its members a living wage.
“The ways that it (Alta Gracia) really differs from other clothing manufacturers are that it pays the workers three times the minimum wage where it is in the Dominican Republic,” said Higginbotham. “That’s enough for them to have access to clean water, stable houses, to provide education for their children, to get childcare for their kids that are too small for them to go to school while they are working.”
The organization began efforts to promote fair trade in the fall 2016 semester when Higginbotham requested help from the Student Government Association. According to a Q&A on the CRS website, those involved went to speak to additional student organizations, including the Muslim Student Association, Spanish Club and Grief Awareness Association. Organization members also asked for students to sign a petition for UL Lafayette to sell Alta Gracia products. Catholic Relief Services members delivered the petition ...


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