Stitching Cultures: An International Fashion Student's Journey

Laura Orozco '26 working in the Steel Plant. Photo by Lea Papakosmas '26

Laura Orozco ‘26 explores identity, tradition and innovation through fabric and design. 

From Spain to the U.S., Laura Orozco ‘26 stands out in the Marist College community with her commitment to success and practice to further her pursuit of a career in fashion design.

Her love of fashion dates back to early childhood. Although she loved all aspects of the arts, Orozco’s grandmother served as a primary source of inspiration, and she developed an interest while watching her grandma sew. 

“I got motivated by her and decided I wanted to pursue this career,” said Orozco. “When I got the opportunity to study in the U.S., it had a big impact on me and my family because I am the first person studying this far away and pursuing a career in fashion design.” 

In addition to her work in fashion design, Orozco is a talented basketball player. In her final year in high school, she received a basketball scholarship for The MacDuffie School in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the same time, one of her instructors advised her to begin practicing her fashion design talents as early as possible and create a portfolio before applying to fashion schools.

“I thought I was just coming here as a one-year opportunity and then coming back to Europe to find my fashion career there. My teacher told me to apply, and I didn’t think it was possible,” said Orozco.

From there, she got the role of the costume designer for the school’s theater program. 

Since then, Orozco’s career as a fashion designer has taken off, with her opportunities at Marist greater than at any other institution. Having to choose between Marist and the Fashion Institute of Technology, the choice was obvious for her, with the traditional college experience and beautiful campus as the main attractions. 

“On May 1, it was my birthday, and I had a call with Marist and my family when I found out that they were very impressed with my portfolio and application and wanted me.”

Her first year of college was spent studying overseas at the Marist campus in Florence, Italy, watching fashion shows in Milan and gaining experiences not as easily accessible in New York. But even while in Poughkeepsie, it still feels like home to her. 

“Sometimes, it's hard not having your family near you, but I feel Marist is doing a great job with internationals. We have a large group of internationals, and we can always reach out to each other,” said Orozco. “We have a lot of clubs that help us involve ourselves. We are a community, and it's great to learn about new cultures.” 

With her commitment to fashion design courses on campus, she is currently working on the Tailored Jacket and Pants Project, which uses Muslin fabric prototypes to take measurements and draft the pants and jacket. Alongside her classes, she also served as a costume designer for the Marist Theatre “Cinderella Caterpillar” production last semester, which she cited as one of her favorite Marist experiences. 

But her most recent achievement was completing a more difficult project.

“Last semester, I made a puffer jacket dress inspired by the design of Moncler with the Simone Rocha Collection, and it was the hardest project because it was made with three layers of fabric, and I had to make sure they were intact,” she said. “We didn’t know how to sew a jacket yet, so it was a step forward that I made by myself.”  

In her second year of college, Orozco has already made her mark countless times over. Currently, she aspires to keep growing as a designer and to continue discovering her sources of inspiration and design philosophy. 

Her goal is to gain expertise beyond Marist through internships in fashion design and to begin working in either New York City or Los Angeles following graduation. She aspires to work for any well-known fashion company and to become a costume designer for a major motion picture, play or dance production. But she enjoys staying true to her roots, too.

“Who knows? Maybe I will come back to Europe sometime or do a collaboration with European designers and tie both my worlds together,” said Orozco.