Nothing makes Badger fans more excited than game day, and nothing beats the experience of being surrounded by thousands of fellow Sconnies. Let’s be honest, the only reason we will ever wake up earlier than 8:00 in the morning is to get ready for tailgates and cheering on our beloved badgers. Besides cheese and beer, game days are easily one of the most talked about aspects of what it means to be a true Badger.
Here at UW-Madison, these sacred days mean three essential things: fantastic tailgates, great sports and killer game day outfits. For years, girls have been trying to perfect the apparel worn on game day. From oversized T-shirts to cheerleading skirts, we’ve attempted it all. But, these outdated and overused game day outfits haven’t changed for years, and frankly, they’re boring, predictable and overdone. Fortunately, there’s a new way to game day...
Get ready to update your game day wardrobe with clothing from After Class, a new company on campus that is changing the way we dress on game days. Instead of your typical T-shirt that anyone can buy at a store along State Street, After Class has introduced fashionable apparel for game days with a new, fresh flare.
After Class started when cofounder Jessica Atkinson, a fashion design major, created her own circle skirt from a Wisconsin patterned print to wear on game days. After modeling it out one game day, she had people begging her to borrow it and asking her if she could make them one of their own.
At that point, Atkinson recognized that “there was a huge gap between the bookstore and consumers” in regards to what people want to wear on game days. In other words, the clothing that the bookstore provides isn’t fashion forward like us Badgers. We want clothing like open backs on tanks, cropped tops and fit-to-flare dresses, but those things aren’t offered by the bookstore. In response, Atkinson teamed up with Sarah Goldblum, and together they created several designs that Atkinson started producing over this past summer. So far, After Class offers trendy dresses, skirts, tanks, sweater tanks and much more to come.
Currently, Atkinson fills orders on a first come, first served basis. The business is in its early stages of development, but Atkinson and Goldblum plan to begin mass production as soon as After Class gains enough consumer interest. In addition to what is already available, they plan on producing other fashionable game day necessities like leggings, hats, bandeaus, men’s T-shirts and more trendy, up-to-date apparel. Their long-term goal is to design game day apparel for other Big Ten schools as well.
After Class is unique to Madison and their prices are within the average college girl’s budget. Not to mention, the designs are unlike anything else sold for game days. Check out @shop.afterclass on Instagram to see more of what After Class has to offer!
How can I get myself some of this sick game day apparel, you might ask? Slide into After Class’s DMs on Facebook to get your game day apparel before it’s too late!
