Merchandising student Audessa Schaefer’s proposed collaboration between Lululemon and Jeep has earned her the 2026 Case Study Scholarship. She’s one of two students in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design in Indiana University Bloomington's College of Arts and Sciences to be awarded the prize this year. [Read about fellow Class of 2026 FSF Scholar Danaka Howard in Part 2 of this story.]
Schaefer's prize-winning case study responded to FSF’s call for proposals of a product assortment bridging a fashion brand with a non-fashion brand. A camping and outdoors collection, Schaefer’s brand New Terrain combines the values of “community, active living, freedom, and authenticity” in the two existing brands.
Per their website, the Fashion Scholarship Fund, a nonprofit organization, “awards over $1.9 million each year in scholarships to help these students succeed in all sectors of the industry, including design and product development, merchandising, marketing, and business strategy.”
In partnership with the FSF, the Eskenazi School’s merchandising program offers a course dedicated to preparing and submitting a case study to the scholarship contest. Taking “Case Studies in Merchandising” gave Schaefer the opportunity to brainstorm ideas with her professor and her classmates, eventually resulting in her New Terrain concept.
Schaefer explained that she applied what she had learned in both her marketing and merchandising classes to create the hypothetical outdoor gear collection. Looking at current market trends in fashion, Schaefer discovered that holistic living was a growing influence among Millennial and Gen Z women. Their interest in a healthy lifestyle influences these groups' consumer choices to buy from athleisure clothing brands. Proceeding to the next logical step, Schaefer speculated that Lululemon could serve to cater the outdoors to these young women.
Schaefer said that Lululemon’s competitors, such as The North Face and Patagonia, market their companies as unisex, yet their main consumers are men. What makes Lululemon different, she claimed, is that it has a strong consumer base of women. New Terrain’s main objective is for the Lululemon and Jeep collab to capitalize on this overlooked consumer segment and expand their respective markets. For Lululemon, that means expanding their market to the outdoor category. For Jeep, it means expanding their market reach to Millennial and Gen Z women.
Schaefer’s case study also includes a six-month merchandising plan and a launch and distribution plan. A large part of this project is understanding the brands’ targeted audience. Knowing your audience’s location and their spending habits is important when preparing a retail launch, said Schaefer.
Having always loved the retail industry, Schaefer’s desire to learn more about it prompted her to take the Apparel Industries course in the Eskenazi School during her freshman year, and eventually, to complement her marketing degree in the IU Kelley School of Business with a merchandising minor. The class introduced her to the business side of the retail world, covering topics from the fashion cycle to the consumer’s mind.
Along with fellow FSF Scholar Danaka Howard, Schaefer will attend the FSF Gala in New York City on March 23. During their time there, recipients have the opportunity to meet the other winners of the scholarship and network with notable fashion companies in the retail industry.
For more information about Schaefer’s case study, visit her page on the FSF website.
