As the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicks off on the other side of the country, the campus community in Fresno finds interest in the event for a whole new reason. Though a new name in New York, Lauren Barisic is a well-known name among the students at FC.

Lauren is a 2010 alumnus of the campus, and now attends the Art Institute of California, San Francisco (AiCA-SF) where she is studying fashion as a third year. Her younger sister, alumnus Kaitie Barisic, ’13, also attends AiCA-SF, studying animation as a first year where she also aids Lauren in drawing designs.

Lauren was chosen out of hundreds of students to be featured in Fashion Week, where her styles opened the show, gaining much attention, Feb. 11. A total of 15 pieces, adding up to 6 outfits, were featured on the runway.

Though Lauren revels in her success, her dreams of being a fashion designer were recently bred. Before discovering her passion, Lauren planned on being an architect, until late in her senior year at Fresno Chrsitian.

“I didn’t know from the beginning that fashion would be my most impassioned pursuit,” Lauren said. “My seven-year plan to pursue architecture was demolished, and I graduated with no plan as to how I was going to figure fashion design. I was sure it would be the right decision, but is was a bit stressful graduating with no plan.”

Many of the Barisics show artistic talents, so with the support and genes her family gave her, Lauren feels her family has been the most influential in her fashion career.

“My family and close friends have always been extremely supportive of me, and my pursuits, and are certainly the reason I have come this far,” Lauren said. “I feel as though I was dealt an opportune genetic hand?Dad was an engineer, and my Mom’s family is very creative?so in designing clothes, both the technical and creative aspects of crafting wearable garments seems almost instinctual.”

Only two weeks after the death of her father, Barrington, Lauren was given the news that she had been selected to attend Fashion Week. The next few weeks were packed with stress.

“When I was told I made it into Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, I was in slight disbelief,” Barisic said. “Thrilling as it was to find out such exciting news, I knew there would be a lot of work involved in bringing it to the finish line. But I looked at that as a challenge to myself, a means of proving to myself that I was indeed capable of accomplishing such a task.”

Rebekah, Lauren’s mother, shares in her daughter’s successes and is bursting with pride as she watches Lauren’s dreams come true.

“I was shocked, thrilled, surprised, yet not surprised, delighted, a little overwhelmed and extremely proud,” Rebekah said. “We all support Lauren. Each one of us has contributed in one way or another. And there have been some rough moments, but we’ve gotten through them. I feel it’s brought us closer together.”

Lauren enters the New York fashion scene as a sponge, ready to learn more about her future industry and hopefully gain a few clients. She has already been interviewed by a buyer from Macy’s.

“I hope to gain further insight into the ins and outs of the industry, especially in the production aspect of putting on a runway show,” Barisic said. “Since I am still a student, and should be for the next year and a half, learning the showmanship aspect now, and the manufacturing along the way, will give me a progressive education, which I hope prepares me to be able to eventually establish my own line eventually after I graduate.”

While this is definitely a highlight in her year, Barisic is already planning new designs for the upcoming AiCA-SF show in June. Despite her recent fashion fame, Barisic plans on finishing school before fully launching into her career.

“I want to finish my college education, so what happens after the MBFW show will greatly effect my next move,” Barisic said. “Right now, I am working on my next collection for the AiCA-SF show in June, so my next education-focused project consists of working on that collection for the next few months. More than anything, I am excited to see everything come together on the runway.”

At the biggest event of Fashion Week, Lauren watched her styles come down the runway, adding to the entirely surreal experience.

“Last night it was fantastic to see all my work come together on the runway,” Barisic said. “It was surreal to watch my styles come down the runway in New York. But it was really fulfilling to see all that hard work come together. I’ve mainly been getting a lot of feedback from my professors, as well as learning how to handle media, newspapers and press.”

This author can be reached via Twitter: @TyninFries. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more news, read the Feb. 8 article, XXII Olympic Winter Games held in Sochi, Russia.