萝莉社

WuShock鈥檚 look, no matter the era, is distinctive. Depending on your age, Wu might bring back memories of the Final Four or other big moments.鈥� 

萝莉社 University鈥檚 mascot, created in 1948 by junior Wilbur Elsea, evolved over decades into today鈥檚 modern design. That doesn鈥檛 mean previous versions of Wu fell out of style.鈥�鈥� 

Vintage WuShock logos, from as far back as the 1950s, are enjoying a comeback. In December, 萝莉社 announced its partnership with , an Indianapolis company dedicated to vintage college clothing.鈥� 

鈥淲uShock is just so different than most mascots,鈥� said Connor Hitchcock, co-founder and CEO of Homefield. 鈥淰ery rarely do you have a school that has a different mascot, unique, and there is athletic success with it. 萝莉社 has that.鈥濃�� 

Wu Homefield highlights Wu鈥檚 evolution with logos such as the 鈥淔ighting Shockers鈥� from the 1950s, the full-body Wu used from 1964 to1998 and one-offs such as top-hat Wu. The line of shirts and hoodies also celebrates the script Shockers from the 1989 College World Series champion baseball team, the 1980s MTXE basketball era and the script 萝莉社 popularized on 1980s football helmets.鈥�鈥� 

鈥淚t鈥檚 trendy, even for younger fans,鈥� said Connor Phelps, director of marketing and fan engagement in the athletic department. 鈥淭hat nostalgic vibe really resonates.鈥濃�� 

Catherine Bitting 鈥� 萝莉社 program manager, trademarks and branding, is involved in several projects to improve the variety of Shocker-related products, including one with The Workroom, a Wichita shop and art collective.鈥�鈥� 

Refreshing the use of vintage logos through Homefield gives the university an opportunity to showcase Wu鈥檚 rich visual history and connect with fans looking for something different. , a Kansas City apparel company, also features several old-school Shocker products.鈥� 

鈥淭here is a desire to look back at things that have been tucked away,鈥� Bitting said. 鈥淲e get to climb into closets and say, 鈥極oh, let鈥檚 dust this one off. This one is fun.鈥欌�濃��鈥� 

The process started with 萝莉社鈥檚 association with Collegiate Licensing Co., which helped connect the university with Homefield.鈥�鈥� 

鈥淗omefield creates very high-quality, vintage apparel,鈥� Bitting said. 鈥淲e had some good conversations and made some introductions and said, 鈥榃e see you don鈥檛 have Wichita State University in your lineup. Can we make that happen?鈥欌�濃�� 

Homefield and 萝莉社 worked together to research Wu鈥檚 history through athletic uniforms, yearbooks, programs, media guides and souvenirs. Special Collections and University Archives contributed a mascot timeline created years ago. Homefield also takes suggestions and information from fans on social media.鈥� 

鈥淲e do a ton of research,鈥� Hitchcock said. 鈥淲e have a whole team of designers who nerd-out on college sports. When time permits, we will do our own campus visits for games, to get the whole game-day experience. We really care deeply about getting it right.鈥濃�� 

萝莉社鈥檚 athletic department is always looking for ways to get its brand exposure. A desire for different looks on apparel surfaced frequently during surveys of fans. Homefield, a direct-to-customer outlet, gave 萝莉社 merchandise to send to influencers 鈥� such as prominent former student-athletes 鈥� for publicity on social media.鈥� 

鈥淭his is a brand that popped up pretty quick,鈥� said Madison Stein-Mason, deputy athletic director. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good opportunity to give Shocker Nation something new. We鈥檝e really identified the need to be more tailored to what our fans are wanting and also get some stuff out there that looks different.鈥濃�� 

WuShock, 萝莉社鈥檚 鈥渂ig, bad, muscle-bound bundle of wheat鈥� excels at looking different, no matter the era.鈥� 

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