Stout Grad Sofia Morin Finds Success in Local and N.Y. Fashion World

From Menomonie to the Big Apple, recent UW-Stout graduate Sofia Morin is making a name for herself within the New York fashion world by honing her niche: leatherwork. 

When deciding where she wanted to continue her education after high school in Buffalo, Minnesota, and mentioning to her mom her interest in fashion, her mom suggested she look into UW-Stout as an option. “My mom was the guiding force,” Morin said. “(Stout) was a close place to explore fashion and I liked the small class sizes and possible connections with alumni.”

After her sophomore year at UW-Stout with a major in Fashion & Retail Fashion Design and Development and a minor in Metals & Contemporary Art Jewelry, Morin was living back in Buffalo for the summer and came across Cuddigan Leather, a leatherworker based in Maple Lake. The founder and designer, Jennifer Smail, was a self-taught leatherworker who agreed to mentor Morin over the summer.

“I found with apparel I felt really restricted. I didn’t feel inspired by the materials,” Morin explained. “With leatherworking, I found that looking and touching different textures and seeing how leather drapes and the shapes you can make inspired me a lot more.”

Images and graphic of Morin’s work for designer Elena Valez (via sofiamorin.com).

Between her junior and senior years at UW-Stout, Morin decided to bring her talents to New York. She applied for and accepted an internship at popular fashion giant Steve Madden, learning to design handbags and accessories for the Anne Klein brand.

In her last month in New York, Morin reached out to Elena Valez – a Milwaukee native turned New York fashion designer – hoping to receive guidance from a fellow cheesehead. Morin then went on to intern for Valez, creating mood boards and small garments. When Morin mentioned her background in leatherwork, Valez had her design a handbag for her Spring 2024 collection that was showcased in a runway show. The bag – dubbed “Monster Bag” – was hand-stitched and made of transparent horse leather and goat hair. “It was outside of style, but it showed me that not only can I design for myself, but I can also design for anyone,” Morin said. 

Her latest fashion collection, created for the Stout WEAR Show and featured in the second Eau Claire Fashion Night on April 13, was inspired by the history of golf and exhibits the classic roles in American golf culture: The Caddy, The Golfer, The Groundskeeper, The Cart Girl, and The Member’s Wife. Morin created bags and other accessories for each role, each crafted with incredible care – pieces like an oversized golf duffle for The Caddy, a woven bag that fits golf balls for The Golfer, a clutch made of golf gloves for The Groundskeeper, and more.

Morin at Eau Claire Fashion Night. (Photos by Evelyn Nelson)

On top of her leatherwork and fashion design efforts, Morin enjoys expressing herself artistically through sculpting. One piece in particular, named “The Lollipop Method,” is a sculpture comprised of 12 yards of jersey knit and PolyFil, all colored with purple and brown dye. Morin says it was created to symbolize her experience with plastic surgery and how there is a stigma around it, often causing shame for patients regardless of the intention behind the surgery.

Morin says she got into sculpting at UW-Stout through class, but quickly found it was another great way for personal artistic expression. “(Sculpting) helped me think about the purpose behind my work and not just making to make,” Morin said. “It made me think about why you choose certain materials and how my history comes into play.”

After a successful college tenure and procuring an impressive résumé, Morin will now be taking her talents to New York full time. After graduation, she was offered a position with Steve Madden as an accessories designer. She will be creating pieces such as belts, headwear, scarves, shawls, and more. Even with her new full-time gig, she hopes to continue designing for and selling products from her own lines, which include bags and other leatherwork.

See the full scope of Sofia Morin’s work and learn more about her at sofiamorin.com.