Human Ecology students help Harley-Davidson rev up the next generation of riders

How can Harley-Davidson attract the next generation of brand loyalists? This was the challenge extended to five Human Ecology students through a collaboration with the iconic, Wisconsin-based company and the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology Kohl's Center for Retailing.

After a competitive application process, the student team was selected to take on this unique project: Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies students Bryn Dresselhuys x'27 and Eliana Feinstein '26; Textiles & Fashion Design students Ava Beydoun '26 and Julia Dobson '26; and Interior Architecture student Clara Weeks '26.

"With deep roots in Wisconsin, I could not imagine a better company to grow my skills through than Harley-Davidson," Dobson says.

This project was the third iteration of brand collaborations with the Kohl's Center for Retailing, following previous partnerships with luxury Swiss fashion brand Akris and Lands' End with its Willis & Geiger brand. Previous student consulting team members like Textiles & Fashion Design alumna Kaelin Silas '25 are now working in exciting roles. Silas is an assistant designer at Judith Leiber Couture, a high-fashion handbag brand often seen on red carpets.

For this year's partnership with Harley-Davidson, the student team learned about the brand through hands-on research opportunities, including visits to the Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson museum, a local dealership and the Mama Tried Motorcycle Show.

"This project is unique because students don't just study a brand, they experience it firsthand," says Laura Hensen, executive director of the Kohl's Center for Retailing and the UW-Madison Office of Strategic Partnerships. "By experiencing Harley-Davidson across these different environments, students gained insight into its origins, culture and the many ways riders connect with the brand. That deeper understanding became the foundation for imagining where the brand could go next."

Thinking beyond the traditional rider

At the project kickoff Andrew Trester '16, Textiles & Fashion Design alum and Harley-Davison designer, presented the following prompt: "How might Harley-Davidson evolve its go-to-market plan and experience to draw in a younger, new audience?"

Throughout the consulting project, Trester was the students' main point person - paying it forward by making himself available to answer questions and provide guidance.

"When young people start looking into Harley-Davidson, it can be intimidating but also really exciting," Trester says. "Whenever I am able to, it's a privilege to help students find their way in an industry that I have experience in."

Early on, the students asked about Harley-Davidson's primary consumers. Trester put together an inspiration board filled with examples. He also encouraged the students to attend upcoming brand events and tour a dealership, which turned out to be eye-opening, pivotal experiences for the student team.

"From helping shape our Milwaukee experience to mentoring students along the way, Andrew [Trester]'s support elevated every stage of the consulting project," Hensen says. "Most importantly, he recognized the opportunity this project represented - both for our students and for the Harley-Davidson brand - and helped make it possible."

The student team dug into market research, which informed a competitive brand analysis - considering Gen Z consumers of Stanley, Carhartt and Ed Hardy and comparing them to Harley-Davidson. Ultimately, the students created a comprehensive marketing plan that included interactive pop-up events, clothing, potential brand collabs, social media campaigns, website updates and dealership-based experiences.

"Working on this project fueled my passion for consumer insights and brand strategy, reminding me how much I love collaborating to find solutions that are able to connect brands and people in meaningful ways," Dresselhuys says. "It was a wonderfully collaborative and creative process from start to finish, with each member contributing their unique perspective and expertise."

A confluence of textiles and creative ideas

At the end of the semester, Trester along with other Harley-Davidson leaders in ecommerce and design, traveled from Milwaukee to Madison for the students' final presentation.

While at Nancy Nicholas Hall - home of the School of Human Ecology - the Harley-Davidson team was treated to a curated tour of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, which houses more than 13,000 textile artifacts spanning 22 centuries and 120 countries. Sophie Pitman, the Pleasant Rowland Textile Specialist and research director for the Nancy M. Bruce Center for Design and Material Culture, selected items with Americana-inspired designs from the collection for a special viewing.

"Sophie did an awesome job lining up textiles that were relevant to the Harley-Davidson brand," Trester says. "I personally loved the Iranian rug that has an eagle with an American flag, because it looked like the style of traditional American tattoos."

A connective opportunity

Following the textile collection tour, the students presented their creative ideas to the Harley-Davidson team. One stand-out pitch centered on a traveling, interactive pop-up experience called "The Harley-Davidson University Tour." A semi truck would be transformed into a custom merchandise store, incorporating design details like custom gas tank-shaped windows. Inside, college students could learn about key parts of a Harley-Davidson bike via a colorful diagram, along with historical touchpoints of the brand.

The student team created mock ups of Harley-Davidson merchandise that could be sold at each stop, including shirts, patches, wallets and hats. One shirt would change colors based on each campus visit and include a list of campus locations the tour stopped at, akin to a musician's concert merchandise.

Michelle Gregoire '95, Consumer Science alumna and Harley-Davidson e-commerce merchandising manager, was thoroughly impressed when she attended the students' final presentation.

"The final presentation could have easily been a marketing meeting at Harley-Davidson!" Gregoire says. "I was overjoyed to return to Nancy Nicholas Hall and see students thriving in an environment that had a profound impact on me as a professional and as a third-generation Badger."

The student consulting project is a prime example of the impactful partnership between Human Ecology students and industry leaders. Through experiential learning - applying skills sharpened in the classroom to workplace settings - empowers students to exercise their creativity, collaborate across disciplines and make meaningful connections all before they graduate.

"I am so grateful to have been part of this project and for the collaboration across majors," Weeks says. "Finishing my senior year with a final design and brand pitch was an amazing opportunity and meaningful real-world experience."

To celebrate the collaboration between Human Ecology students and Harley-Davidson, a special window exhibition will be on view at the Ruth Davis Design Gallery. Running from August 20-September 13, 2026, Harley Davidson: Hitting the Road to Reach the Next Generation of Riders features objects and images on loan from the Harley-Davidson Museum alongside ideas from the students' final presentation.