Victoria’s Secret

Attention, Terps girls: You can now buy underwear and tailgate gear at  the same store.

That’s right. Five years after being pulled from the Victoria’s Secret PINK Collegiate Collection, hoodies, spirit jerseys and sweatpants with this university’s name are available in five area stores, starting this semester.

“We had nothing to do with it,” said Joe Ebaugh, the university’s director of trademark licensing. “It was 100 percent a Victoria’s Secret decision.”

The loungewear line previously discontinued its apparel styled for this university in 2009, due to poor sales.

“We’re such an odd market compared to other schools because we are a heavily metropolitan school, so there are many teams to compete against branding-wise,” Ebaugh said.

“I think [Victoria’s Secret] realized Collegiate gives them a different platform than they usually go after,” he said of this university’s sudden reinstatement. “They also have targeted the PINK program at an age group from 18 to 24, I think, and that would certainly be perfect for Collegiate.”

The collection now features 64 schools, including all of the Big Ten affiliates, though Ebaugh said this university’s move to the conference likely had nothing to do with its re-inclusion.

“I went online and saw they have quite a big list of schools they’ve gone forward with with this new initiative,” Ebaugh said. “I thought it was interesting that some schools are in stores only, some are online only and some are both.”

Currently, this university’s apparel is available exclusively in stores, at five locations across the state.

“I think it’s cool. I know I’ve been wishing they had UMD apparel because their stuff is so cute, albeit expensive,” said Yasmine Hentati, a junior environmental science and policy major. “I hope they branch it out to online soon.”

Taylor Ingber, a junior physiology and neurobiology major, also said she would buy clothes from the new line.

Ingber said she likes the Collegiate Collection line more than the University Book Center’s apparel “because it’s cuter.”

Rich Stevens said he noticed this university’s apparel at Victoria’s Secret while shopping with his sister at Bowie Town Center on Black Friday.

“I walked in and the table had, like, hoodies and panties and sweats and stuff that had Maryland logos on it,” said Stevens, a senior sociology major. “There were a lot of people in the store, and a good amount were perusing the table and checking the stuff out.”