The Vault x WDT
Written by Isabella Zapata
Students filled the room as The Vault welcomed Josh Kuhn for a lighthearted presentation on how he brought fashionable merch into the Midwest sphere. His journey started just six miles from campus. Josh grew up in Middleton and took up photoshop in high school. Little did he know that one of his comical shirt designs would be his break into the world of design and merchandising.
Ironically, the start of Wisconsin Design Team (WDT) wasn’t in Wisconsin at all: it was in New York City. After the pandemic, Josh began working at Playground Printing, where he took a deeper dive into embroidery and printing. Collaborating with friends from Playground, he worked on what is now WDT, a brand rooted in community and creativity.
While Josh’s journey in New York City came to a close, his journey at 417 State Street had just begun marking the start of a new journey. In the summer of 2023, WDT opened its doors to UW students and beyond. The early months were anything but easy. From troubles with store management and permits to merchandise production, it was definitely a hard start. As they gained their footing, Madison students and friends began working at and managing the store. Their combined efforts helped in WDT's development and they started making a profit through social media. The market and pop-ups in the fall of 2023 brought new energy and a new crowd, generating up to $5,000 a day. As Josh spoke about the technicalities of the business, he emphasized how much community, support from friends, and persistence mattered.
A lot of their orders are wholesale or custom orders making up 50% of the business. He spoke to expanding the brand to other states speaking to how hard the outreach would be and that personally it is not something he would pursue.
WDT continues working to expand their community and online presence. Since the brand’s start, growth has been linear and quality has improved with time and experience. As Josh opened the floor for questions, members asked about the journey, things he would've done differently, and what he hopes to do in the future. He closes by sharing that his end goal is making more money, opening more stores, and working on bigger projects and collaborations.
What made Wisconsin Design Team unique was that they created more personable pieces than those offered at the University Book Store. These pieces caught the eyes of students as they wore them around campus and to sporting events. By creating apparel that students were eager to buy and wear, WDT combined comfort, quality, and school pride. Each customer helped promote the brand so much that items were selling out before they could put in new orders.
Beyond that, the brand reached out to collaborate with popular Madison businesses like the Kollege Klub. Lake Louie, Greeking Out, and (most recently) Culver’s. For the Culver’s collab specifically they created a hoodie, tee and classic blue brimmed Otto hat all with the Culver's Badger Bear. One of their larger milestones was acquiring a license through Fanatics, allowing them to sell their merchandise in the University Bookstore. They even briefly ran a popup store out of Hilldale Mall but it was a slight challenge as it came with more responsibilities and a different demographic. They closed this popup location back in July now running primarily on State Street and online.
