Velasco handmade each of his garments for New York Fashion Week. (Photo courtesy of Ricardo Campa)
Arturo Velasco says everything happens for a reason, a mantra he quickly found to be true when his career as a fashion designer changed almost immediately after graduating from Marquette. After an invitation to New York Fashion Week made him pack his bags and prepare for one of the world’s biggest fashion showcases, he soon realized that the opportunities he was given couldn’t just be a coincidence.
Arturo Velasco, a Marquette University College of Business Administration alum (’26), is a fashion designer from Chihuahua, Mexico, whose skills in creating clothes began and developed throughout his time at Marquette. Showcasing his work previously at Marquette fashion shows and Milwaukee Fashion Week, Velasco recently took the stage at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 12, marking the designer’s first runway show in New York.
Velasco’s path toward New York Fashion Week began in a rather unconventional way, with a trip to Five Guys.
One weekend in February 2026, Velasco arrived in Chicago with nothing more than himself and a collection of his handmade clothing in the back of his car. While on a visit to see one of his friends, he spotted who he thought was Mexican rapper Alemán between bites of a Five Guys meal.
Feeling emboldened, Velasco introduced himself and described the work he did to the suspected rapper. However, this person didn’t end up being the artist himself, but his DJ. Despite this, Velasco still made it his mission to try to get his work in the hands of Alemán, and offered to gift some of the clothing he happened to have in the back of his car to Alemán for his birthday.
Little did he know then, but this unexpected run-in would eventually lead Velasco down a path towards making pieces for three other music artists, and then to receiving not just one, but four invitations to different stages at New York Fashion Week in March.
His decision on which stage to showcase his work came down to a few factors, but there was one that was of the utmost importance to him: bringing his friend, Jeremy Santiago, a second-year graduate student in the College of Nursing, to model in the show.
“He’s been with me since the start; he’s been in every show, so I was like, ‘Might as well bring him,’” Velasco said.
Santiago closed Velasco’s very first fashion show on Marquette’s campus, so Velasco thought it was only fitting to have him close his first show in New York as well.
After receiving the invitation for New York Fashion Week, Velasco was excited, but imposter syndrome slowly started to consume him as he prepared for the event.
“I did a lot of pieces that I ended up not liking,” Velasco said. “I was like, ‘I don’t feel like this is New York-worthy.’”
With only two years of experience making his own clothes, there were moments when he thought this opportunity came too soon. Nevertheless, he persisted through his doubt and ended up making 30 pieces to bring to New York.
As with many of his previous collections, Velasco wanted his New York Fashion Week pieces to represent Mexico and its culture in subtle ways. One piece featured the “Hecho en México” seal graphic, a label used on products made or manufactured in Mexico. His favorite piece from the collection was a jacket with the image of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” rhinestoned across the back, each rhinestone hand-placed one by one by Velasco.
Although Velasco wanted to continue to convey his pride in his culture with his fashion, he also wanted to step outside of his comfort zone and use his work to showcase his tangible skills.
“[I am] trying to build an image and identity through my craftsmanship instead of my storytelling,” Velasco said. “I make everything myself, so I have to show that I have good hands.”
Velasco’s journey to New York Fashion Week started with an 18-hour drive the Friday before the show, a 4 a.m. bedtime and an 8 a.m. wake-up on show day. However, despite the hectic environment backstage, limited time and lack of sleep, Velasco maintained his cool demeanor during the show.
“I [had] been working for this. So, it [was] like, now is the time,” Velasco said. “I felt good; I felt prepared.”
Velasco boiled down how he got to New York Fashion Week to two main factors: work ethic and fate.
“I’ve had blessings that life has put me into these positions and has introduced me to all these people where I’m like, ‘There’s a reason life has been putting me with these people,’ y’know? There’s a reason for that,’” Velasco said.
Because of how people have shown up for Velasco and helped him grow in his career, he’s now made it his mission to be that person for others. Emma Brosey, a fashion student at MIAD, is just one of the people he has already impacted.
After helping Velasco with a painting to help promote his show at New York Fashion Week, Brosey confided in him that there was an internship that she was looking at but didn’t have the portfolio she needed for it. In an effort to be that support system in her creative endeavors, Velasco asked her to come backstage with him at New York Fashion Week and create accessories that he could showcase on models during the show so that she could add that experience to her portfolio.
“I’ve been getting these positions through life with people helping me out, so I felt like that was my time for me to help out other people,” Velasco said.
New York Fashion Week for Velasco became more than just how he could represent his work on a grand scale; it was a steppingstone towards furthering the representation of his culture and being a supporter for other creatives.
To learn more about Velasco and his work, visit his Instagram, @_arturovelasco.
This article was written by Elise Emery. She can be reached at [email protected].
