At a time when most American universities are losing endowment money due to the economic crisis, UCLA is earning significant revenue by branding its name as a clothing brand and opening stores worldwide.

UCLA stands for the University of California, Los Angeles. The clothing brand arose from the school's athletic and academic reputation and its popular image of the Southern California lifestyle. Most of UCLA's initial international brand success stemmed from their first marketing efforts in Japan 30 years ago. Since 1980, 15 UCLA stores have opened in South Korea and 43 are now open in China. There are about 100 locations selling UCLA merchandise in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. According the school newspaper the Daily Bruin, the UCLA store revenues are up to $4 million USD annually.

Images of the famous Royce Quad and the UCLA football squad cover the walls of UCLA stores in China, but the clothing you see in those stores are unlike those found on the LA campus. Instead of sweaters, jackets, and t-shirts, you will find blazers, polos, and other business-casual clothing. The UCLA brand in China represents the "smart casual" style, a brand image conveying the relaxed Southern California lifestyle and American intellectualism. What’s the moral of the story? UCLA has effectively created a global clothing brand and has tailored its products for different target markets in the countries it operates. Will other popular universities follow suit? Let’s wait and see.