Students gathered on the campus green during activity hour to celebrate Marist College’s annual Fashion Fest, on April 17.

Hosted by Silver Needle Runway, MPorium and Measure Magazine, Fashion Fest was a day where students could shop from local and student vendors, enjoy live music by local artist girlbossanova and drink mocktails all on the green.

SNR, MPorium and Measure are all experiential programs Marist offers that allow students to gain hands-on experience and skills they can translate into their future careers. Their work is showcased through events like SNR’s annual show or can be taken home by students via a copy of Measure Magazine or a sweatshirt from MPorium.

“I love that [Fashion Fest] brings together the fashion department while still merging it with the rest of campus,” said Summer Juliano ‘24, general manager for Measure. “SNR, Measure and MPorium have been working really hard to make this event happen, so it’s just so amazing to see it actually come to life.”

Additional campus organizations that participated in Fashion Fest included the National Retail Federation Student Association, Runway of Dreams and Campus Closet.

Nabuz Dreamz, Mad Mason and Banglesbyem were among a handful of student-run retailers who showed off their entrepreneurship and creativity through their self-run businesses.

Emely Batista ‘25, founder of Banglesbyem, talked about how she got into jewelry making during the height of COVID-19.

“It was 2020, during quarantine, and I was very bored. I found [jewelry making] to be very calming and very relaxing. My friends liked what I made a lot and decided I could make something out of it,” said Batista.

Batista established her business as an LLC last year and is excited to have the opportunity to share what she loves with other Marist students.

Students not involved in the fashion department also enjoyed the festivities of the day, including Samantha Stulbaum ‘26.

“I liked that it didn’t feel like you had to be a fashion major to enjoy the event,” said Stulbaum. “I got the chance to interact with people I otherwise may not interact with on a typical day.”

Many students did not leave Fashion Fest empty-handed, as the different vendors had so much to offer. The ability to thrift clothes also played a large role in student engagement. Thrifting provides students with a sustainable option of purchasing second-hand clothes at a discounted price while preventing a greater amount of clothing from ending up in landfills.

Marist Hosts Annual Fashion Fest

MARIST CIRCLE