Maria Cornejo is endeavoring on a massive archive project at her Brooklyn Navy Yard studio, working through racks on racks of clothes dating back to her design beginnings at the London label Richmond Cornejo in the late 1980s. There’s a cyclical nature to Cornejo’s output; she often revisits past silhouettes, but a loose-fitting shift with stand-up pleated details at the shoulders in her new pre-fall collection felt like a particularly deep cut. “Everybody’s loving the ’80s,” she said at a showroom appointment, including Cornejo herself.
Other fresh shapes include full-legged, high-waisted pants with a diagonal zip in the front and a bubble skirt with a smocked waist and an elasticated hem that lightly referenced the ’80s, as well. Don’t mistake any of this for retro, though. Cornejo is focused on the here and now, which is why she’s one of New York fashion’s standard bearers for sustainable design. A summery, light-as-air polyester has become a go-to fabric for her; this season she was able to source a partially recycled version for the first time. Every little bit counts.
The big story for her this season is color. Much of it remained on the racks and not photographed for the lookbook, but trust that the sunflower yellow of an easy-wearing v-neck dress in ripple gauze is as vibrant as the Yves Klein blue of the ’80s shouldered dress that appears in look one. Also striking are a new navy and gold jacquard and a circa 2014 graphic print on silk that Cornejo reissued using a digital inkjet process that produces less waste than traditional screen-printing. Say it again with me: Every little bit counts.
