Being a college student and running a business is very stressful, but Kristen “Kris” Romano balances both each day. She is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations, and is the owner and designer for her own apparel shop, By Kris Designs.

The shop started as a solution to one of Romano’s dilemmas as she moved into her dorm in Manhattan as part of the Marist in Manhattan program, “I was trying to come up with original ideas to design my dorm room in Manhattan,” said Romano. “I really wanted one of the sought-after Brandy Melville wooden signs with Marist on it, however they did not make one with our school on it.”

That’s when By Kris Designs was born.

She decided to head to her local craft store and create her own replica of the Brandy Melville-inspired Marist sign. Once she arrived in Manhattan, she had every girl on the floor inquiring about her creation, “Everybody wanted to know where they could buy one and after a while of me saying that I had made it, I decided that I had a real demand for these products.”

Romano’s world got turned upside down when a year and a half ago, she was given a Cricut machine for Christmas. “When I received the Cricut, it really made me consider making more designs,” Romano recalled, “I started watching tons of Youtube videos of people using their Cricut, and I had finally figured out how to make really cool stuff.”

Though she did sell only wooden signs for a while on her Instagram shop, she has now transitioned into making apparel. “Some of my best selling items are my hoodies, t-shirts, and phone cases with the Marist ‘Pablo’ inspired font.”

By Kris Designs’ signature Marist ‘Pablo’ hoodie. Source: @bykrisdesigns on Instagram

Customers can choose any plain piece of clothing on her product list and Romano will transform it with her designs. The store is wildly popular with students, not only at Marist, but also at other institutions as well. “By using Instagram as my main platform for By Kris Designs, I am able to connect with my customers and take their suggestions for new products,” said Romano. “I also get to do some Instagram giveaways, collaborations, and promote my products on my page and stories.”

Romano also gets many requests for special orders, “I recently got a request to make an ESPN inspired Marist logo for a girl who is in the ESPN Sports Communication class. We worked together to make it exactly how she visualized it and I am so excited to fulfil her order,” Romano said.

Romano gets many requests for seniors who are looking to announce their college choices as well, “I do have a lot of customers from Marist, but I also get orders from other schools as well. I think it’s really cool to be able to connect with students outside of the Marist bubble.”

Over the summer, By Kris Designs hosted its first trunk show from Romano’s house in Long Island, NY. “I did not expect a lot of people to come, but I posted about it on my shop page and had guests RSVP. I had an overwhelming amount of people RSVP and come to the party. It was so busy, but I was also so excited to see people being able to pick out their orders in person. It was just really cool.”

“I just hope it gives other students the inspiration to finally start doing a project they have wanted to start but never got around to doing,” she said. “It is so rewarding to see my designs around campus and I know that my hard work was all worth it.”

To order or check out By Kris Designs, follow her Instagram page, @ByKrisDesigns.

Making Her Mark: Kristen Romano ‘20 On Her Popular Merch Brand

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