Story by Kaitlynn Steinman and Sofia More x’26, UW–Madison student studying Community Organization and Development
Develop a brand pitch and go-to-market plan for a luxury brand. That was the opportunity presented to four Human Ecology students through a collaboration with high-end Swiss fashion brand Akris and the UW–Madison School of Human Ecology Kohl’s Center for Retailing (KCR).
The upperclassmen student team presented a comprehensive proposal to Akris executives on how the brand can acquire new customers while maintaining its market positioning and honoring its history. This project was the second iteration of brand collaborations with the KCR, following last year’s work with Lands’ End and its Willis & Geiger brand.
At the project kickoff, Akris executives shared with the student consulting team that the brand is interested in reaching a younger audience. Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies students Bridget Flannery x’26 and Vani Khullar ‘25, along with Textiles & Fashion Design students Kaelin Silas ‘25 and Clara Padgham ‘25, rose to the challenge. Meeting weekly and working individually outside of the classroom, the student team dug deep into the Akris history with their eyes set on the future. They invited campus leaders to their meetings, such as Sarah Anne Carter, associate professor of Design Studies and executive director of the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture (CDMC), and Sophie Pitman, the Pleasant Rowland Textile Specialist and CDMC research director, to be a resource for questions and advice.
After three months of translating interests and concepts into concrete marketing and merchandising ideas, the student team introduced strategies to help Akris connect with a younger customer demographic, focusing on handbags as an entry point.
A shared history of empowering women
The School of Human Ecology and Akris have a lot in common. Both the school and luxury brand came to be thanks to the efforts of women who advocated for a better future.
In 1900, the Wisconsin Federation of Women’s Club voted to petition the state legislature to establish a chair of domestic science and art at UW–Madison. The subsequent launch of the department of Domestic Science was the starting ground for the school.
Twenty-two years later in St. Gallen, Switzerland — a small city known for being a leading textiles capital — Alice Kriemler-Schoch started her own business as an apron atelier. Soon after, Kriemler-Schoch dressed the region’s most stylish women using only local fabrics, many of them embroidered.
Kriemler-Schoch’s son Max joined the family business in 1944, naming the fashion house Akris after the initials of his mother’s name. Max helped develop the brand into a ready-to-wear powerhouse, collaborating with businesses such as Ted Lapidus and Givenchy. Currently, Albert Kriemler, Kriemler-Schoch’s grandson, is the creative director of Akris. The family business continues to honor women who champion ambition, aspiration and advancement.
“I was struck by almost parallel timing to the founding of the School of Human Ecology by a group of entrepreneurial women and an entrepreneurial woman who founded Akris by creating aprons,” says Laura Hensen, executive director of the KCR and the UW–Madison Office of Strategic Partnerships. “The brand’s deep appreciation and respect for craftsmanship and customers was directly in line with our school, especially within the Textiles & Fashion Design and Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies programs.”
Since 2018, UW–Madison alum Melissa Beste ‘94 has been the global CEO of Akris. Hensen met up with Beste for lunch in New York City where they discussed how Human Ecology students could partner with Akris. Assuming a consulting role with an established heritage brand would be an invaluable, experience-based learning opportunity for students to practice their profession before graduation. Beste also saw the benefits of gaining students’ perspective on growing the Akris customer base.
“It only took one project [Willis & Geiger student partnership] as a proof of concept to convey our students’ and project’s potential,” Hensen says. “There was clear value for both the students and brand.”
Practicing their profession before graduation
Inspired by Akris’ matriarch, the student consulting team leaned into the theme of women’s empowerment. The proposed marketing plan leads with storytelling, which includes the “It all started with Alice” bag campaign. By honoring and celebrating its woman-founded roots, the student team suggested that Akris can attract prospective customers who relate to being a woman in the workplace, leading with grace and confidence. Additional market plan aspects included creating new handbag accessories, such as a plush horse key ring charm, which pays homage to the brand’s extensive expertise in horsehair weaving.
“What really drew me to this project was the unique opportunity to work with a high-profile luxury brand and the challenge of navigating the balance between its heritage and voice with the expectations of the modern consumer,” Flannery says.
The Akris x Human Ecology collaboration is a prime example of how the school supports students in gaining work experience before graduation and connecting with industry leaders — all while earning class credit.
“This project allowed us to work with peers in different majors than our own,” Padgham says. “Each of us could showcase our unique strengths. Overall, the experience has opened up my perspective on working in the fashion industry. I thought I always wanted to do design, but now I feel like there are so many areas that intrigue me that I had not considered before.”
For Khullar, the project boosted her excitement about entering the workforce. She has a clearer idea of what working for a brand is like and is encouraged to find it both challenging and fun.
At the conclusion of the project, all four students were guaranteed an informational interview with Akris team members in their area of interests. Moving forward, Akris will leverage the students’ marketing proposal in their strategic planning.
“We all enjoyed this collaboration, the insights the team provided — some of which we will move to action — and would welcome the opportunity to collaborate on future projects,” Beste says.
From July 21 to Sept. 21, 2025, a window display will be on view in the Ruth Davis Design Gallery showcasing some of the work the student team and Akris partnered on in collaboration with the CDMC.
“I’m so proud of the work and dedication from our students on this project,” Hensen says. “This experience allowed students to collaborate in new ways, gain exposure to their future profession, present to Akris and school leadership and create connections to start their careers.”