PULLMAN, Wash. — Drawing inspiration from rugged apparel, sports, and celebrities, students at Washington State University competed to impress footwear company UGG with ideas for how to draw more young men to the brand.
Five teams of student merchandizers in WSU’s Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design, and Textiles (AMDT) tested their knowledge of real-world trends, tactics, and consumer behavior this spring in the capstone challenge of their 450-level strategic planning course. Nine senior executives and creative professionals at Santa Barbara, California-based UGG offered feedback and judged the contest, which asked students to present case studies on collaborations and products that could expand the company’s male market. Winners received UGG gift cards.
“Our consumer research showed that men want more durable and functional shoes,” said Gabriela Servin, who, with teammates Allie McCune, Haley Bergmann, Morgyn Glaser, and Lizbeth Salazar won first place and the challenge’s peer choice award. Their concept, UGG X Carhartt, blended the brands’ comfort, style, and durability.
“They knocked it out of the park with all aspects of design, marketing, target customer, and even a launch strategy,” said Dane Harlan, an UGG channel sales manager who led the AMDT collaboration.
UGG representatives sought a project that could be presented unchanged to senior leaders and designers.
“We were looking for a team that could help us bring in a year-round male consumer that was new to the brand, and also keep him coming back to the brand season after season,” Harlan said.
First-place team members surveyed men and boys ages 12-60 to identify preferred products and online platforms. The survey also determined their desire for function, sustainability, acceptable price, and masculine styles. To meet those needs, the team designed UGG hiking and style boots, sneakers, and slide shoes with Carhartt influences.
Group members chose actor Matthew McConaughey, fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye, and NBA player Victor Wembanyama as potential brand ambassadors who could connect with young men. Their commercial screenplays pictured all three ambassadors traveling and relaxing in the crossover footwear.
Each member of the group brought passion for the apparel industry and the project, McCune commented.
“This led to some truly interesting ideas and discussions that helped narrow down our proposal,” she said. “Having the opportunity to create for UGG was so exciting. We were given guidelines for the proposal, but from there, the sky was the limit.”
In second place, students Tahssya Avant, Aslyn Ray, and McKynzie Olson proposed a travel-themed menswear line linking UGG, the Fear of God Essentials fashion brand, and Formula One racing driver Lando Norris. Seeking to position UGG as a modern lifestyle brand for men, the trio developed a line of neutral-colored hoodies, tees, shorts, sneakers, slides, and slippers incorporating design elements from both companies.
“We wanted a whole outfit that people could wear to their travel destinations,” Olson said. “By leveraging Fear of God’s established influence, UGG can tap into a dedicated consumer base that values style and functionality as well as the travel lifestyle.”
Other teams explored modular designs, sustainability, and collaborations with well-known athletes and rappers. Kiah Conway, Alena McDonald, Willow Pratt, Nha Tran, and Timothy Reynolds envisioned a sneaker, slide, and slipper collaboration with NBA players and siblings Lonzo and LaMelo Ball.
Tyler Clem, Malia Morris, Alyss Pinget, Maddy Wambolt, and Ava Smith developed a line of limited-edition loafers inspired by Formula One driver Charles Leclerc. Promoting the collaboration through social media and a Miami yacht party, the team aimed their shoe at young, urban male “culture creators,” consumers who purposely shape their identity and influence others.
Jeremiah Lara, Remy Cummings, Ava Eversaul, and Sydney McGavick designed a modular shoe that changes from a mule into a boot and includes elements that wearers can detach and replace as they wear out. For an ambassador they chose Travis Scott, a rapper and fashion label creator with more than 59 million Instagram followers.
“Sustainability, customization, and maintaining the things we have are only going to get more important in the world and in fashion,” Eversaul said.
Jihyeong Son, the AMDT associate professor leading the course, was proud of how the students rose to the challenge.
“They tackled a real problem that required them to apply critical thinking and creativity, just as they would in a professional setting after graduation,” she said. “This kind of hands-on project is vital to our merchandising curriculum. It not only demonstrates how classroom concepts translate into professional practice but also boosts students’ confidence and preparedness for the industry.”
For UGG, the case studies are a way to gain fresh perspectives on an important target market; for students, Harlan said, there’s no better preparation for work post-graduation.
“We have teams all over the globe, at all stages of their careers, grappling with the same issues that AMDT 450 students dealt with,” he said. “These teams did a professional job of solving real-world questions that we strive to answer every day. I hope these students are able to utilize their work and the insights gained from this project as they interview for jobs after college.”