Chippewa Valley Times

UW-Stout, the Industrial Designers Society of America-Milwaukee chapter, and Milwaukee Tool will host the third annual Design Wisconsin event on May 18. The event will take place at Milwaukee Tool headquarters, located at 551 N. 5th St. in Milwaukee, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. While admission is free, attendees are encouraged to register in advance.

According to UW-Stout, the event will feature displays from Milwaukee Tool and over 20 other Wisconsin companies, showcasing their designs and products. Some of the key sponsors and exhibitors include Ashley, Brooks Stevens, Colony Brands, Fiskars, Kohler, Mercury, Oshkosh, Polaris, Presto, and Trek.

This year's event will introduce soft goods and wearables, with DSG Outerwear of Madison participating. Wendy Gavinski, the founder and CEO of DSG, will be among the keynote speakers, along with Tim Albrecht from Milwaukee Tool, David Richter-O’Connell from UW-Stout, and Katherine Frank, UW-Stout's chancellor.

Richter-O’Connell expressed that Design Wisconsin aims to showcase the influence of industrial design and designers on Wisconsin's culture, commerce, community, and brand over time. The event highlights the state's role in global new product innovation and development across various product categories.

New to the event this year is Gulfstream Aerospace of Appleton, featuring designer Toni Kallies, a UW-Stout fashion design and development graduate. Attendees can also enjoy Wisconsin-made products from various vendors during the event.

The day will include student designs and Student Merit awards from the IDSA Milwaukee chapter, honoring individuals like UW-Stout’s industrial and product design major, Amelia Dobbratz.

After the event, a gathering will be hosted by the UW-Stout Alumni Association, Loft Creative Studios, and IDSA Milwaukee. The previous Design Wisconsin events took place in 2022 at DELVE in Madison and in 2023 at Trek in Waterloo.