Q+A with Rachel Marino
FIT BFA knitwear 2026
Faded Trails
In Next Gen / No Kill, we spotlight standout fashion graduates whose work opens up new conversations and possibilities. From New York’s top programs and beyond, these are the designers shaping a future of fashion defined by intelligence, creativity, and intention.
What is the inspiration or concept behind your collection?
Faded Trails draws inspiration from the renovation of my childhood home, where objects, materials, and surfaces were uncovered and repaired, revealing layers of history. That same spirit of discovery carries into this collection through the unraveling of old sweaters, the use of natural dyes, hand-spun fibers, and mismatched buttons gathered over time. The collection holds a childlike joy, where memories become landmarks and the familiar feels new again through repair, reuse, and connection.
What’s one material or technique you’re currently obsessed with?
Right now I’m really drawn to working with raw fiber. I’m fascinated by how much you can do with it and how many different directions it can take you. Whether it’s hand-spinning or felting, I’m always finding new ways to experiment with the material. Lately I’ve been especially interested in creating plush, dimensional forms that challenge our expectations of everyday objects. I like taking something familiar and reimagining it through texture, making it feel playful, unexpected, and a little different from how we normally experience it.
What does fashion mean to you today?
Fashion to me today is about slowing down and really appreciating the garments and materials we already have. I think there’s something important about paying attention to what already exists around us instead of always looking for something new. I’m drawn to repair and reuse, and the idea of being more intentional with what we choose to keep and value over time. I’m also really interested in the versatility that can exist within a single piece. How something can be worn in different ways without needing to be replaced.
What’s one thing you wish the fashion industry would leave behind—and one thing it should embrace?
One thing I wish the fashion industry would leave behind is excessive consumption and the constant push for newness. It can make clothing feel disposable and disconnected from the people who wear it. I think it should instead embrace slower, more conscious ways of making and consuming fashion. Where there’s more appreciation for what already exists and more intention behind what we choose to keep and wear.
Who or what has shaped your design values most?
The environment and observation of the world around me have shaped my design values the most.
I’m really influenced by noticing how change happens in familiar places and how spaces and materials shift over time. It’s made me more aware of transformation in everyday life and how even things that feel constant are always quietly evolving.
If you could design for anyone in the world, who would it be—and why?
If I could design for anyone, it would be Lorena Pipenco. Her work balances nostalgia and imagination, creating pieces that feel both familiar and unexpected. I connect with her interest in giving new life to existing materials and finding beauty in things that already hold a history. My own work is often rooted in similar ideas, so I think it would be really meaningful to design for someone whose approach to materials and storytelling feels closely aligned with my own.
Three things keeping you sane right now
My daily bike rides to the river at sunset, laying in the sun, and my current hand-knit project
One word to describe your design approach: Intentional
Where can we find you online?
@rach_marino_42
@rachelann.studio
https://rachelmarino.myportfolio.com/
