Elizabeth Beggan Portfolio

There’s an unspoken symbiotic relationship between fashion and basketball. It blends ever-so seamlessly and has trickled down from NBA tunnel walks to the McCann Arena. For Marist students Jaden-Collin Roberts and Trace Salton fashion stretched beyond city lines and onto the McCann court. 

When Collins arrived at Marist, he was a recruit from Edison, New Jersey who played for Rutgers Prep. His mind was consumed by basketball and was eager to start his athletic career at Marist with a brand new team. Inevitably, Collins made connections within the team to further their dynamic on the court and off of it. Enter 6’5 Trace Salton. 

Collins, a year younger than Salton, felt gravitated towards Salton’s open and creative energy. New York City is only a train ride away from Poughkeepsie and through Salton’s time at Marist he has taken full advantage. “He’s a big city guy because New York City is the city of fashion,” Collins said. Salton extended open (decorated with bracelets) arms to Collins to join him for a  weekend. 

From there, fashion flourished in the eyes of Collins. The duo began sifting through the city for the best fashion items they could find. Salton notably kept his eye out for eccentric backdrops to document his style. Through city trips, a growing relationship with Salton, photos in front of gratified brick walls, it clicked for him. Fashion and basketball mix. 

Recently, the Marist Basketball team held a photoshoot for promotional videos. Some players just wore their jerseys and stood deadpan in front of the camera. Salton and Collins took a different approach.

Underneath the bright white light that shined onto the McCann floor, Collins lay flat on his back surrounded by fashion and basketball memorabilia. A spiderman rug laid beneath him, a spiderman t-shirt, spiderman plushie toy, his red jersey, a basketball under the palms of his hand, and on his feet – bright red sneakers. Collins was obviously comfortable in front of the camera, moving the items around him to capture every possible angle. 

Salton took the photoshoot standing with two mannequins by his side. Salton dressed in his uniform and the mannequins beside him looked as if they were displayed in a windowsill in Manhattan. To his right, one wears a tan leather jacket with a red Louis Vuitton canvas bag and a blue velvet vintage baseball cap. 

To his left, the mannequin was drowned completely in a brown fur coat. A red scarf was tied around the plastic neck with a red baseball cap slouched over it. Salton carried a black slouch bag over his shoulder with sneakers in his hands held to his head like telephones. Salton was wearing thin black sunglasses with a fur cuff hat atop his head. 

The two stayed an hour longer than everybody else because of their creative approach. Behind the camera, the players were hyping each other up making the photoshoot a forever memory for Collins.

“I’ve always had a love for fashion and being creative, but with basketball being my main priority growing up, I didn’t have as much time as I would’ve liked. And that’s okay, it was never a push and pull relationship. As I got closer to college, I knew that being classically trained and majoring or minoring in fashion would benefit me in the long run,” Salton said. 

Being immersed in any environment it’s inevitable that customs translate to anyone in the vicinity. New York City is one of the most influential cities in the world when it comes to fashion. 

Students as well as Salton and Collins spend weekends there gathering creative innovation to bring back to Marist. 

“It’s rare to find a school that has a fashion program with this much success and a well-run, talented basketball team. I’m extremely grateful for that,” Salton said. “I’ve always wanted to be more than just an athlete, so being part of the campus community, on and off the court, has been a really rewarding experience.”

Marist University is home to one of the most well-known fashion programs in the United States. Recognized by Forbes and the Princeton Review, fashion majors flood the campus with style ingenuity. Walking around campus, sitting in the library, picking up a coffee from Saxbys, inspiration is everywhere.

“It’s a proximity thing, before you thought fashion was way over there, now it’s walking by you in the street, a person who’s doing it,” said Fashion Professor Bradley Erikson. “It’s that opening eye that it’s not just people in the industry.”

There is frequent overlap between the fashion program and the basketball team. With the athletes being immersed so heavily in the fashion culture at Marist, it opens the minds of exploring the program opportunities. MPorium, a student-run boutique, has collaborated with the basketball team because “we knew it would sell,” Student Buyer Madison Shanely said. 

Sweatshirts, stickers, basketball shorts, accessories and even mock jerseys were sold by MPorium. The items that were put online were modeled by the basketball team and displayed on the small billboard in front of the store. The collaboration between the two brought success for MPorium and strengthened the relationship they have with the team. 

“So Be It,” a clothing brand created by Collins is also sold through MPorium. “It started as a family motto, it means having the mindset of what’s next,” Collins said. The brand started a year and a half ago with the intention of spreading positivity for the court and off of it. The logo is printed on plain black shirts, sweat towels, sweatshirts and hats. Collins has his own website where he sells the shirts as well as a fashion instagram where he posts his latest fashion outfits. 

Silverneedle Runway is a student-run fashion show that exhibits new and original work by fashion design majors at the end of each spring semester. SNR has taken advantage of the 6ft tall basketball players to model their clothing on the runway. Through recent years, the SNR production team has built a strong relationship with the players for modeling their clothing. 

SNR shines light on students’ creativity and innovation by embracing curiosity. It’s an opportunity for players to make connections and network with fashion students. “ I think any young person should be networking and if you have a taste for it, don’t hesitate,” Erikson added. 

With a substantial number of students having at least one foot in the fashion door, Salton felt inclined to join. “Marist showed me that these two parts of my life don’t have to be separate. They can exist together in my everyday routine and feel natural. Being involved in the Marist fashion programs influences me in so many ways. I’m truly thankful for each project I get to work on, not just because it builds experience but because it reminds me that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” Salton said.

Although the basketball court has strict rules when it comes to what players can wear on the court, Collins found a loophole: accessorizing. “We wear headbands, armbands, legsleeves and armsleeves, we have so much to wear,” Collins said. The most important and the most obvious accessory? Shoes. 

Basketball sneakers are more than just good traction and ankle protection – it’s a powerful cultural statement. The sneakers that were originally made for protection against injury for players transformed once Chuck Taylors and Air Jordans entered the court. 

Soon enough, basketball players such as Micheal Jordan and LeBron James became the poster-boys of inspiration. Beyond functionality, they were selling a basketball cultural shift. Brands such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and Balance began working with players to market their sneakers to other aspiring players. 

Sneaker culture has trickled from the stars on billboards to the ones in the McCann arena, enforcing the intertwining of fashion and basketball. 

Players navigate finding their own personal play style in basketball through perfecting their short-stops, dunks or defensive skills. As a team player, finding individuality through fashion on the court is a way to express personality without saying a word. The game on the court isn’t the only one that’s going on. The Red Fox plays a game of sleek, polished fashion.

The speaker is playing “Welcome to the Jungle” as senior Marist Dance Ensemble choreographers Alyssa Bruno and Jacquelyn Nasiatka demonstrate their new dance. Behind them stand 30 dancers dressed in athleisure wear – some still sweaty from their dance class before. “Here here hit boom here,” Bruno shouts to the dancers watching. The basement walls have a pungent smell to them. Somehow they must have absorbed sweat from dancers over the years. There isn’t much room for all 32 of them to fit comfortably – especially with their bags shoved against the peeling walls. 

Creative pressure is a prominent feeling Bruno and Nasiatka experience. With stand-out performances under their belts, they find it difficult to know when the stopping point is for their new dance. “It’s so much pressure to top ourselves,” Bruno says. “What if we don’t live up to that?” To participate in a dance there is no audition process, it’s done through whoever emails choreographers the fastest at 5p.m. on the dot. 

Their previous performances is what keeps Bruno and Nasiatka at the top of email lists for signing up. Bruno and Nasiatka have been dancing for the Dance Ensemble since the fall of their freshman year. They’ve been the most coveted choreographers since the spring of their freshman year. 

Resources for constructing the show are limited. With resources low and pressures high, participants like Bruno and Nasiatka have to adjust. The dance ensemble sells 1200 tickets in a year for their shows each semester – bringing in just below $10,000. 

Their $30,000 a year budget is allocated meticulously. For each semester the budget is split in half, evening out to $15,000. Out of the $15,000, $11,000 of it goes to sound and lighting, $1,000 goes to video production and the leftover amount goes to student workers. 

With two shows each year, the costs add up. Students are relied on for buying their own costumes with a $10 cap for each dance they are in which is an average of three. Dance, while mostly based on ability, is also based on aesthetics. Costumes enhance the dance by adding a visual impact. By using textures, colors, patterns and unique detailed costumes creates a visual dynamic to the performance. With a $10 limit there isn’t much room for more than a bright-colored t-shirt. 

Since 1991, the ensemble has consistently practiced in the commuter lounge dance room – the only exception being tech week, when it is held in the McCann center. For one of the biggest clubs on campus, their resources are perpetually limited. Their fall 2025 show sold around 450 tickets and all 450 people – despite the demand for space – were put in the rec gym. Lucky for them, their spring show is held in the McCann arena with all 800 seats filled. 

Darren McCormick, the man who decides the scheduling for the McCann center receives the same email every June regarding the spring dance show. “We make sure to email him every June for the same dates every year for the spring show,” club president Anna Freeh says.  “He takes weeks to respond and when he finally does it’s a no.” 

While Marist puts their focus on a shiny and new multi-million dollar track that brings in little to no outsider interest, the dance ensemble is running circles around them with audience attraction. It makes Bruno and Natasistka wonder what lengths they have to reach in order to get the same attention. Their dance space has been the same since 1991 and there’s no signs of it changing. 

Along with the deteriorating dance space, the air conditioning fails to keep dancers cool while in use. On occasion it has leaked onto the floor and dancers, some have slipped from it being neglected by cleaning services. If it gets too hot, dancers take their five outside. With the space being so small and at least 30 dancers occupying it from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. each night of the week for eight weeks, it’s inevitable that it overheats. 

Dancers are not able to see the front of the classroom, see themselves and it limits dance movement. The basement is overall limiting their creative aspirations – it’s a perfect analogy for how Marist governs them. 

Tech week is where the vision can fully be executed without the space limitation that the basement has. “It literally all comes together during hell week,” dancer Madison Chan says. Typically, Bruno and Naisatka have their dancers split into two groups during regular rehearsals to concentrate on format. Once tech week hits, and allowed to practice in McCann, choreographers are changing formatting until the last second. 

Board members and choreographers have continuously overcome their ensemble’s limitations. “Seeing the show come together and being able to do it with all the girls I’ve gotten so close with over the years makes it worth it,” Nasiatka says. The passion and commitment that the dancers have for accomplishing one of the most anticipated performances of the year keeps them motivated. 

The dance ensemble proves that talent and commitment trump limitations. The true commitment that the ensemble has, no matter the restrictions, keeps the audience chairs filled. “I think just seeing all the dances and the show come together at the end of semester and also just knowing everything will work out eventually,” Chan says. 

But now, here, during this first meeting, 32 girls are sitting in a circle getting to know each other, asking about majors and hometowns. The seniors sit arm-in-arm with heads on each other’s shoulders while the freshmen are spread out. Bruno is leading the conversation in a casual tone constructing a playlist for the group to warm-up to. In eight weeks the freshman will also be sitting arm-in-arm, indistinguishable from the seniors.