University of Wisconsin-Madison
Since 1892 dailycardinal.com
Thursday, April 14, 2022
l
Flaming Lips
Election Fraud
+ARTS, page 4
+Almanac, page 3
From farm girl to sustainable fashionista By Clare McManamon SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
On any average day, Anne Runde will walk to class and encounter three or four people complimenting her “one-of-akind” thrifted outfits. Runde is the owner and founder of Threader.Co, an online thrift and custom apparel store. Since founding Threader.Co in May 2020, Runde has sold over 2000 items through the business’ Instagram and Etsy pages. Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Wisconsin, Runde learned at a young age what it takes to run a business. However, her interest in sustainable fashion did not develop until she was in college. As a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Runde started shopping at the thrift store as a way to inexpensively “spruce up” her personal style. She was inspired to start reselling thrifted pieces after finding fashionable items at the thrift store that were not her size. “I just found this huge market gap,” Runde said. “There were all
these affordable clothes that didn’t necessarily fit me, but they would fit somebody else.” When she first started, Runde sold simple, thrifted t-shirts for 5 dollars on Instagram. Recently, Runde found her “thrifting niche” — selling vintage and customized Badger gear. “I’m really passionate about providing a sustainable alternative rather than going to the bookstore and spending $80 on a brand new Champion windbreaker,” Runde said. In June 2021, over a year since Runde started the business, Threader.Co went viral. Runde created a TikTok advertising a vintage pop-up event she and her friends were hosting in Madison. The video gained tens of thousands of views. The line for the pop-up stretched two blocks down State Street. Threader.Co’s online orders skyrocketed. At first, Runde was able to manage the increase in orders and followers but as school began in the fall she struggled to balance her classes, social
life and business commitments. Runde’s roommate and best friend, Cammi Ganshert, began to notice a shift in Runde’s personality and demeanor. Since Runde runs Threader.Co out of their living room, Ganshert is often the first one to see the clothes Runde thrifts and customizes. She has been nothing but supportive of Runde, but their relationship grew “tense” as Runde tried to find balance in her life. “We had a heart to heart conversation,” Ganshert said. “I was like your mental health is not good and it’s making our dynamic bad… you are too great of a person to be pushing yourself this hard.” In December alone, Runde had to complete and ship out 57 customized orders before Christmas. After the holiday rush and finals, she shut down her Etsy shop for all of January and sought out resources from University Health Services to better deal with her mental health struggles. “I mean it was very nice when I had all those orders. I had a lot of money, but I’m realizing now
that it’s not about money for me,” Runde said. “I’m way more happy now but less [financially] comfortable. It’s a trade off for me.” Ganshert is proud of the progress Runde has made with her mental health and business. “In the past three months, I’ve been able to see her find that balance and do the things that she wants to do, all while being able to make money and feel fulfilled in her business,” Ganshert said. “It’s been super awesome to see her do that.” Runde reopened her Etsy shop in February, but is trying to be more mindful of the number of orders she accepts. After she graduates in May, Runde plans to stay in Madison for another year to help run Madison Vintage Events. The collective is “a community of entrepreneurs fueling the city with the best vintage goods, art, and clothing.” Their next event is June 11 and 12, and will feature vintage clothing for sale, local artwork and live music. Runde does not know how long she will run Threader.Co,
but she plans to continue thrifting daily, even if she stops or sells the business. Looking to the future of fashion, she hopes that other consumers will implement more sustainable fashion choices into their closets. “A significant amount more people are choosing to shop secondhand now, and I think that’s just going to be kind of the precedent,” Runde stressed. “Sustainable fashion is only going to get more popular; it’s going to be the next wave.”
IAN EVANS/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Anne Runde starts online thrift store.
‘Busting down the cardboard’: Next year’s senior class officers By Claire LaLiberte STAFF WRITER
Margo Wyatt and Liam McLean were high school acquaintances, but it wasn’t until college that they connected and realized they would be a powerhouse duo “in terms of getting things done,” said McLean. Each described the other as ambitious and hard-working, with big ideas and plans to accomplish them; seeing these qualities reflected in one another inspired the two to form a ticket and run for senior class office at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The McLean and Wyatt ticket commanded more than half of the vote, comfortably earning them the titles of senior class president and vice president, respectively, for the upcoming 2022 to 2023 academic year. Their platform prioritizes achieving a more unified, engaged campus, facilitating networking events for graduating seniors and improving the dialogue and culture on campus surrounding sexual assault and harrassment. McLean is from Fox Point, Wisconsin, and studies political science with certificates in leadership and entrepreneurship. Wyatt is from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and also studies political science; she is doublemajoring in international relations with a certificate in French.
Both are energetic leaders who are passionate about the university. Wyatt praised the campus’s vibrancy and sense of community, and McLean stated that when he looks back at his experience here, he has found the most gratification in making change and taking on leadership roles. McLean previously served as Interfraternity Council (IFC) president, motivated by a desire to shift the culture from a “self-isolated community” to a “purpose-oriented platform.” He sought to drive engagement between Greek Life and the community as a whole, spearheading initiatives such as a partnership with Feed the Change, a non-profit
that combats food insecurity. But perhaps most notable were McLean’s efforts to prevent sexual assault. Studies have indicated an alarmingly high rate of sexual violence within Greek Life, and McLean organized trainings and events to educate students and break the stigma felt by survivors. McLean stated that his most gratifying experience as IFC president was working with PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) to host their first Denim Day. “To see that [over 1,000] people felt moved to stimulate a dialogue” around such a pervasive and serious issue was deeply impactful to McLean. A 2020 study of 33 American uni-
COURTESY OF GAVIN ESCOTT AND MARGO WYATT
Next year's senior class officers Liam McLean (left) and Margo Wyatt (right).
versities, including UW-Madison, indicated that approximately one in four undergraduate women and one in 14 men experiences sexual violence during their time in college. Wyatt cited this statistic as a sobering indication of the urgency of these initiatives, and reminded students that it’s statistically likely that “most people on campus have close friends who are survivors.” McLean and Wyatt also aim to improve networking on campus in order to help seniors secure jobs after graduation. UW-Madison boasts one of the nation’s largest and most active alumni networks, and Wyatt and McLean aim to capitalize on this and provide greater opportunities to students. Wyatt is one of the founding members and former Diversity, Equity and Inclusion chair of Badger Tank, an entrepreneurship club that works with students to implement their business ideas into reality. Badger Tank connects students with resources and individuals that will help them advance their career goals, and Wyatt hopes to use these experiences to provide similar networking opportunities for students in all disciplines. “Everyone is insecure about their future ... because humans have a natural inclination to be afraid of rejection,” said McLean. “The idea of these alumni network-
ing events is [creating] a chance for people to confront rejection in a comfortable environment.” Voter turnout for senior class elections hovered at around 5%; Wyatt hopes to change this. She and McLean aim to make their office as accessible as possible and foster an open line of communication between class officers and students. Wyatt added that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt throughout the whole of the senior class’ academic careers, and this has profoundly affected the social and professional lives of students. She and McLean aim to combat this by bringing the campus together and breaking down barriers that separate students from one another. McLean stated that his experience in campus leadership has opened his eyes to the “structural divisions” that exist on campus, separating students on the basis of academic field, identity and more. He and Wyatt aim to create events and programs that “[bridge] these fractured parts of campus that may not otherwise engage with each other.” “We’re in boxes in terms of what we’re studying and our identities. That’s what we know,” said McLean. “But that’s where I see the potential for community-building. We need to bust down the cardboard.”
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”