OUR PARTNERSHIPS
Partnerships are central to The Vault’s mission. By collaborating with organizations, establishments, and artists, we expand our reach beyond campus and create opportunities for meaningful growth and lasting impact.
VIRGIL ABLOH FOUNDATION
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
YOUTH IMPACT PARTNERSHIP
2025-2026
UW-Madison has been named as a Youth Impact Partner by the Virgil Abloh Foundation for the 2025-2026 school year. This collaboration is especially meaningful as Virgil Abloh is a UW-Madison alum and is a source of inspiration and creativity for so many of us at The Vault.
Over the past year, UW-Madison and our team at The Vault have worked closely with the Foundation to develop VAULT 360 — a semester-long program that invites our student leaders to provide peer-to-peer mentorship, offer behind the scenes access to production planning and events, and build a forum for creative exchange between college and high school students who are a part of the Foundation’s ABLOH AIR and Open Access programs.
VAULT 360 includes 3 core initiatives:
1. VAULT EDU - immersive learning across fashion, business, and creative disciplines
2. VAULT EXCHANGE - peer-to-peer development and mentorship with Vault mentors and ABLOH AIR mentees
3. VAULT BACKSTAGE - behind-the-scenes access to live production experiences and fashion shows
BURTON CULTURE SHIFTERS
VIRGIL ABLOH FOUNDATION
THE VAULT
UW-MADISON YOUTH IMPACT PARTNERSHIP
2025-2026
This year, we presented a co-designed program between Burton and the Virgil Abloh Foundation, titled “VECTOR.”
Students accepted to the program will have the opportunity to work in pairs to design a merchandise line for Burton’s Culture Shifters program—an initiative created to expand representation in sport and connect fashion, design, and snowboarding. Six UW–Madison students will be selected to collaborate with the Burton and VAF teams to design original apparel, join studio sessions with staff to refine their creative direction, join virtual panels, and more.
In early February Burton will select one of the group’s as the winner, turning their design into a merch line sold at the Culture Shifters event. All six selected participants will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Aspen, Colorado, where their work will be developed through the Culture Shifters program. Additionally, each student will receive a stipend in recognition of their time in the program, with the winning group receiving a cash prize for their selected design.
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT FOUNDATION
MONONA TERRACE, MADISON
SPRING 2025
The Vault hosted our Spring 2025 Fashion Show, The Wright Look, at Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Inspired by the visionary designs of University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus Frank Lloyd Wright, the show explored architecture through four unique acts - honoring different eras of his life, his apprentices, personal creations, and enduring design principles.
MADISON MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
FEDERICO URIBE - METAMORPHOSIS
SPRING 2025
On April 20th, 2024, The Vault held its end-of-semester fashion show at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). The show highlighted the museum’s main exhibition: Federico Uribe’s Metamorphosis. The Show drew in over 500 attendees to celebrate 57 looks created by 38 designers.
Designs in the show echoed Uribe’s style by incorporating recycled materials and unconventional elements, symbolizing both personal and environmental transformations.