From Fanciful Flowers to Collegiate Core: Students Wonder “What is Mporium’s Next Theme?”

A photo outside of Mporium's storefront. Photo by Ava Kaloz '25

From flirty florals to the collegiate core, Mporium, Marist University’s student-run boutique, has taken campus style by storm. Every semester, Mporium “re-launches” with a brand-new theme, and with it, fresh apparel designs, swoon-worthy stickers and adorable store set-ups. It seems near impossible to expect Mporium to outdo itself time and time again, especially with an increasing demand for products and already heightened student expectations.

With so many themes already explored and the current college-themed line coming to a close, dozens are left wondering what Mporium will do next and whether they can truly “wow” Marist students.

As a long-time shopper at the store, I hold high hopes for Mporium and its upcoming rebranding. It feels as though the store’s theming has only improved over the years. With Marist embracing its new identity as a university, I can only wonder how the store will rebrand. Will it move away from academic-themed designs and into a future of bold colors and minimalism, reminiscent of “brat summer,” or could we progress into a light-colored and delicately patterned spring?

With Mporium’s relaunches over the years, we have seen highs and lows as our mini on-campus fashion industry has continued to grow. Sticking to current trends, Mporium has always cultivated a space that feels relevant to our generation, and thus, our bank accounts.

From the summer-themed scheme in spring 2023 to the New York theme in fall 2023, we have seen many distinctive themes and designs concluding at the end of each semester. Typical of the store itself, students running Mporium have sold designs exclusive to a given semester relating to the “theme” for that period. 

However, with collegiate core launching in fall 2024, we have continued to see Frankie the Fox themed shirts, hoodies, sweaters and hats, all of which have maintained their shelf-life into the spring semester. Frankie merchandise continues to sell out in-store and online.

Though a fan of the Frankie merchandise, I hope that, with the release of the store’s new theme, we will see a broader range of designs, patterns and materials. While Frankie is a very successful mascot for apparel artwork, the typography-heavy hoodies and sweatpants created many years ago were also very successful. 

With pointed shoes, puff skirts and leather jackets in season, will Mporium go as far as to shift its products to include heavier jackets, shoes and other accessories, like colorful nail polish or statement bags and backpacks for class? The store could even expand its snack items to include premium coffees. 

Olivia Butler ‘25, Mporium’s director of marketing, gave a tiny hint as to what to expect for the future of Mporium as we progress into the spring semester. 

“We really want our theme to be for everyone, and we want everyone to connect with our theme,” she said. “We want this to be a fun party!”

Butler explained that “being able to be creative [is] the most important part of Mporium. It is such a privilege to be in this class and in this program.”

With more hints and merch drops expected soon, no matter what this semester’s theme is, it is sure to be a hit because of the dedication of its staff and the campus engagement the store generates. I, for one, can’t wait to see what they come up with. I’ll maybe even buy a thing or two (or five) for myself.