Located in the heart of Madison’s State Street, there stands a retail store unlike any other. From their misspelled “Wicisnosn” shirts to their quirky cornfield mesh shorts, Wisconsin Design Team knew their target audience from the beginning.
Wisconsin Design Team (WDT), founded in 2021 by UW alumni Sam Anglehart, Briar Ion and Josh Kuhn, represents how creativity can flourish in the right setting. With their social media content — specifically their trendy TikTok videos — involvement in community events like the Madison Night Market and collaborations with city hotspots like The Kollege Klub, WDT is achieving big milestones for a rapidly-growing small business.
Madelyn Lawrence, the director of retail operations at WDT, graduated from the School of Human Ecology and joined the executive team in 2023. She is currently a member of their four-person design team, working closely with the custom design-making process and planning out their creative direction for the future. Lawrence also oversees the storefront and manages their sales associate team.
“We all went here at one point or another and saw this gap in the [collegiate apparel] market,” Lawrence told The Daily Cardinal. “There's not much cool stuff to wear to games or it's all the same — we'll see the same stuff.”
The three original WDT founders began their business’ journey with the iconic arc logo design with “Wisconsin” placed cleverly on a pair of colored sweatpants. Their streetwear-esque approach instantly stood out on campus and led to their success. The team started posting on Instagram, and it “just blew up,” according to Lawrence.
“I think because we’re younger, we have a different eye,” Lawrence said. “We want the designs to be more fun and interesting than just the word ‘Wisconsin’ on a t-shirt.”
Having collaborated with Madison businesses and UW-Madison student organizations such as Moda Madison, WDT also partnered with local hospital departments of UnityPoint Meriter Hospital and the American Family Children’s Hospital to create customized apparel designs.
Looking ahead, Wisconsin Design Team plans to expand their presence beyond Madison, particularly by acquiring more licenses for other universities, Lawrence said. The company has already partnered with the University of Iowa and hopes their parent company, Design Team Enterprises, can help them secure licenses for other schools.
WDT’s authenticity sets it apart from other collegiate apparel brands. You can tell if a clothing item is a Wisconsin Design Team piece or not. According to Lawrence, the entire team has “their own unique style,” and the energy you feel when in the store is “inviting and energetic.”
“We are like a big family,” Lawrence said. “When you see that aspect in a brand, it makes you want to shop there more.”
Despite their goals to incorporate other universities in their apparel designs, the WDT team will always consider Madison their home base.
“I think Wisconsin will always be a main focus for us because we're all from here and it's a homey place,” Lawrence said.
Wisconsin Design Team symbolizes many ideas:teamwork, school pride, self-identity,but believing in your brand is the strongest essence they hold. Lawrence’s best advice to future UW-Madison entrepreneurs: To use your local resources.
Lauren Aguila is a current photographer and writer for The Daily Cardinal. You can check out her work on Instagram at @shot.sbylaguila.
