The pride of the past, the challenge of the future. As well as a path toward knowledge, the university represents a world where values, traditions, and symbols specific to each university are intertwined. They know this well in the United States, where fraternities and initiation rites mark college life and where the phenomenon of college merchandising was born.

Even the major Italian universities now have physical and online stores where personalised products such as backpacks, shoppers, clothing, stationery and accessories, including technology, useful in the student's daily lifecan be purchased.

"Since the launch of our Ca' Foscari Shop in 2020," explains Veronica Gusso, global merchandising manager at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, " we have seen an increase in demand for university-branded products. The most sought-after are unisex and comfortable clothing, preferably with clearly visible logos and sustainable fabrics such as Oeko tex cotton. Our items are also purchased by tourists, who are eager to take home a special souvenir of their holiday and who particularly appreciate the historical logos or those linked in some way to the city, such as our Marcian lion.”

A customisable merchandising item that can be used in several ways - as a cup or as a pen holder - is the mug. The one offered by Creativity Center can be customised in four-colour process, using the sublimation technique, and is also resistant to high-temperature washing in the dishwasher. Also very practical is the shopper bag from Agm (Arti Grafiche Macaluso) in natural cotton with Fairtrade certification, which allows the heaviest volumes (up to 7 kg) to be carried. Clothing is also ideal to make the university's name or motto stand out. Like the scarves of Adria Flags in Lycra, which can be printed in high resolution on both sides.