Many of us are feeling a renewed urge to dress up. It means different things for different people; be it a pair of heels, a statement hat, or even an old fur. Yes, real fur—in addition to faux—seems to be back on the New York streets. Maria Cornejo is feeling for a more polished look too, but you can trust that she won’t be using animal fur. Among her fellow designers, she’s a leader in responsible sourcing.
On the responsibility front, take a gander at the sleeveless V-neck dress in look 13 that Cornejo patchworked together from different colored rolls of viscose acetate eco-drape that she found in her warehouse. It’s a limited edition beauty. Or consider the black recycled polyester and cotton jacket, and the top smocked with metallic gold fibers that she had custom-made in France—more proof that you can sparkle while designing and dressing sustainably. As macroeconomic forces have made business more challenging for independent designers, talk of sustainability has fallen to the wayside, but it’s not a passing trend here.
Years ago Cornejo began using iPhone photos as prints on her clothes. This season’s version, seen on an easy-wearing silk midi-dress, is an abstract rendering of the peeling ad posters at her Bed-Stuy subway stop. Her collection notes explain that it was made using a digital inkjet print process, which produces less waste than traditional screen printing. She picked up some of the colors in the print for some of the standout pieces here, including the marigold yellow of a recycled polyester top and matching draped skirt, and the forest green of a cotton broadcloth ruched sheath. Also striking and out of the ordinary for Cornejo: a flared-leg black jumpsuit with a peekaboo back.
For those not feeling the impulse to flash a bit of skin or otherwise turn it out, among Cornejo’s more casual options is a circular denim number made from industrial waste and pre-consumer waste cotton. The jacket in the new fabric has a cocoon shape—covered up, but still guaranteed to be noticed.
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