Fashion Fridays 2010 debut
From the organizers:

Fashion Fridays makes its 2010 debut in style on April 9. Partnerships with the Wi Film Festival and Madison Area Music Awards helps to forge a fierce trifecta of creative talent among the film, music and fashion industries in Wisconsin.

Local designer collections reign the runway this time. Local tastemakers and influencers will not want to miss the prime penthouse venue in Arbor Gate as well as the myriad of goodies in store from MyMenu, which is also the event’s first time ever retail ticket partner!

Making its first appearance during Wisconsin Fashion Week in April 2008, the event originally served as an after-party with a focus on fashion industry networking but soon became a mainstay on the style scene. Each season, Fashion Fridays offers an opportunity to learn Madison’s fashion faces alongside a runway show highlighting the latest trends hitting the streets. The events attract a younger audience and are often held in clubs or non-traditional spaces.

Filmed Friday, April 9, 2010, by Logan Cascia for The Badger Herald. Music: “Beat It” – Michael Jackson

Wisconsin’s unique culture is defined by an industrious work ethic and an exuberant, inescapable party scene. We work hard, and we party hard — it’s a Midwest thing. No matter where we’re originally from, UW-Madison students can relate to this dynamic.

As a UW-Madison senior, designer and entrepreneur, Bryon Shannon found a way to celebrate this aspect of Wisconsin culture: He started his own clothing company called Wisconsin Relic, designing and selling colorful, playful shirts that incorporate that Wisconsin aesthetic.

Now 23 years old and a UW-Madison graduate, Shannon keeps up with the party scene but continues to work hard to build his brand; a true Wisconsinite, he’s found a way to reconcile partying with the business side of things.

“I wear my T-shirts to the party,” Shannon laughed. “It’s a perfect marriage of marketing and enjoying yourself.”

Shannon conceived the idea for a clothing company during his freshmen year at UW. For three years, he told friends of his goal, but since he hadn’t made a move, no one took him seriously. Then, the summer after his junior year, Shannon decided it was time to turn his talk into action. He stepped up his game and got down to business.

“I had made a list over the years and I had over 90 different t-shirt ideas, and that summer I narrowed it down to 12 ideas,” he explained.

Shannon began searching for the perfect T-shirts on which to print his designs and enlisted a few interns to help him pound the pavement and get the word out about his company. In January 2009, Wisconsin Relic was officially born.

Shannon calls the life of a recent college graduate “abstract”– meaning that he’s often on the go and cobbles together several sources of income — but it’s Wisconsin Relic that keeps him busy 24/7.

Earlier this month, Shannon was one of the five designers showcased at Wisconsin Fashion Week. He recently launched Flashback, a vintage T-shirt shop on the Wisconsin Relic website. But Wisconsin Relic is perhaps best known as the T-shirt headquarters for the annual Mifflin Street Block Party. Mifflin seems like the pulse of this operation. And with the big day fast approaching, Shannon is busier than ever.

“I’m living and breathing the Mifflin Street Block Party, every minute of every day,” he says.

This year, one of the four Mifflin T-shirts by Wisconsin Relic references “Party Rock” duo LMFAO. “I’m On Mifflin, Bitch,” the shirt boldly declares; the back reads “Drink All Day, Play All Night.” Sure, you might not be able to sport this one outside of Madison, but it seems like a perfectly appropriate way to describe one of the city’s most historically rowdy days of celebration. Solo cups and beer bongs decorate the other Mifflin designs. Shannon said he’s excited Wisconsin Relic will actually be setting up shop on-site at this year’s festivities, which will feature a beer garden and live music.

Contrary to what his Mifflin T-shirts may suggest, Shannon said he’s more of a “creative, visual guy” than a partier.

“I would say my partying would be sub-par for the typical college student’s standards,” he said, laughing. “Since I’ve graduated, I’ve toned it down a little bit.”

What he hasn’t toned down, however, is his sense of style when it comes to designing shirts for Wisconsin Relic. Shannon incorporates traditional elements of Wisconsin culture (namely, cheese and beer) into his designs, but he also includes bold visual elements that harken back to the ’80s in hopes that the combination will resonate with young people across the Midwest. Shirts are emblazoned with slogans like, “Life is Great in the Badger State,” and “This Guy Loves Wisconsin,” which Shannon says is the most popular shirt on campus.

Shannon seems to enjoy experimenting with ’80s trends in particular.

“From the big ’80s neon sunglasses to the big Nike shoes and skinny jeans, it’s all coming back,” he said, adding Wisconsin Relic will soon release acid wash T-shirts.

Shannon shops for ideas and inspiration at Urban Outfitters, American Apparel and vintage stores whenever possible.

“If I see a vintage store, I just like to walk in and go through all of their old shirts,” Shannon explained. “A lot of times, the old retro shirts from the ’80s have the coolest ideas and designs.”

He creates his designs using Corel Painter 8 (“It’s old school,” he said) and prints them on American Apparel T-shirts (“They’re way soft”).

In addition, Shannon supports the relationship between Wisconsin Relic and Sconnie Nation, as they share a few similarities in terms of branding and design aesthetic. However, Shannon described Wisconsin Relic as more colorful and more state-oriented.

When it comes to his own style, Shannon said that he tends to rock V-neck T-shirts and cardigans.

“I think V-Necks are in right now … if you’re man enough and not afraid to sport the V,” he said.

Bryon Shannon is out to prove that when it comes to style, Wisconsin isn’t just “fly-over territory,” which he explained as “the idea that there’s L.A. and there’s New York, and you just fly over everything in the middle because it’s all boring and there’s nothing going on there.” According to Shannon, there’s an emerging fashion scene in Wisconsin, and he’s genuinely psyched to be a part of it.

Despite the company’s success, the past year has been a learning experience for Shannon and his team. This year’s Mifflin shirts might be profane, but one of last year’s designs was scandalous in a different way.

“For Mifflin last year, we had a Pabst Blue Ribbon T-shirt; instead of ‘Pabst’ it said ‘Mifflin Street’ and instead of ‘Blue Ribbon’ it said ‘Block Party,'” Shannon said.

One day before Mifflin, he received a phone call from an unknown number asking to speak to the Wisconsin Relic legal department.

“I’m like, ‘This is the legal department… it’s me,'” Shannon said.

According to Shannon, the folks at Pabst were concerned that Wisconsin Relic had illegally replicated the PBR logo and asked Wisconsin Relic to stop selling the shirts.

Shannon said Wisconsin Relic still doesn’t have a legal department; in fact, he runs the company with a team of just five students (he’s the only non-student). But after last year’s Mifflin debacle, Wisconsin Relic receives legal advice from law students on campus.

“It’s a completely homegrown, student-run business,” Shannon said.

And Shannon said any mishaps or challenges are “part of being a college production. You roll with the punches.”

In the future, he hopes to expand Wisconsin Relic to include designs about other states in the Midwest. For now, though, he seems excited that Wisconsin Relic is quickly becoming a part of both a relatively new fashion scene and a long-standing Madison tradition.

“It’s cool to know that as a student, you can put your ideas into action,” Shannon said. “This was just an idea of mine, and now it’s a company that’s a year old already.”