Bear Essentials
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 12, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 CHRIS BACKLEY/Daily Bruin Margaux
Schroeder, a first-year undeclared student, sports a UCLA
hooded sweatshirt.
By Janet Chang
Daily Bruin Contributor
Ranging from sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats and other forms of
clothing that come in many colors and styles, UCLA’s BearWear
is popular attire for many students and alumni.
Wearing a UCLA-brand sweatshirt can be a sensible alternative to
sporting the latest trend for some students.
“For guys, it seems like it’s a no-brainer outfit,
like a default fashion win,” said Lorien Friesen, a
third-year astrophysics student. “You can’t go wrong
with it.
“USC stuff is very dull. Most of their stuff is red and
gray with their school letters,” she continued.
BearWear refers to anything with the UCLA logo on it, including
clothing, souvenirs and other accessories. Demand for BearWear,
however, isn’t exclusive to the UCLA community. Stores
throughout the country and overseas sell licensed UCLA products,
according to Patricia Eastman, executive director of Associated
Students of UCLA, which licenses BearWear.
Although other universities have similar trademark licenses
abroad, none of them have agreements measuring up to UCLA’s
level, Eastman said.
Many students wear BearWear attire to support university sports
teams.
“You need to have UCLA stuff to wear to the games,”
said Stephanie Twerdahl, a second-year political science student.
“If you have any school spirit at all, I think you need to
own a piece of clothing that says UCLA.”
BearWear can also show school spirit that extends beyond
athletics. Many students don the UCLA letters to express a sense of
loyalty to and pride in the university.
Twerdahl said that when people think of UCLA, they see more than
the image of books and studying. “It’s a school that
I’m proud to let people know I’m a part of,”
Twerdahl said.
Some students find the price of BearWear difficult to
justify.
“They’re so expensive,” Friesen said.
“Everyone else owns so much of it. It’s so trendy that
I see it as a negative thing.”
Eastman emphasized the quality and brand name of the
products.
“I don’t think that BearWear is more expensive than
other logos,” said Eastman. “The logo does add cost to
it, but it also adds value.”
Though the large scale of the UCLA Store gives it a
department-store image, Eastman said she feels it is truly a
college store.
“We compare very favorably to a department store in that
we offer a variety,” she said.
“But I think we are a very comprehensive college store in
that we focus a lot on academic pursuits at the
university.”
Advertising and merchandising techniques used by management
resemble tactics used by department stores.
“We made an effort to put all the more discretionary
products and grouped them in ways that are interesting to the
customer,” Eastman said.
Patrons appreciate the accessibility and variety of the UCLA
Store.
“Our student store has a much bigger variety of
merchandise. Everyone can find what suits them,” said Rex
Roberts, a third-year music history student.
The companies sponsoring UCLA athletics add to the appeal of
BearWear for some.
“We use Adidas and other brands that I would wear
anyway,” Twerdahl said.
The UCLA Store is not the only local establishment to sell
BearWear. Retailers in Westwood, for example, can sell merchandise
with the UCLA brand name as long as it is properly licensed.
“Then the only difference would be that the designs at the
UCLA Store are unique,” Eastman said. “We don’t
let them be used in outside retail stores.”
