Maria Cornejo

Maria Comejo was bom in Chile and moved to England as a political refugee with her family when she was a child. Her varied career spans

London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo where she was part of the ground-breaking design partnership Richmond Comejo; developed her own

signature "Maria Comejo" collection; and worked as a creative consultant for major retailers such as Joseph, Tehan and Jigsaw. In 1996, Maria and her family moved to New York where, in 1998, she transformed a raw space in Nolita into a highly creative atelier and store known as Zero + Maria Comejo and started making garments with upcycled materials. From the beginning, Maria established an independent point of view and developed new ways of cutting fabrics based on the simplest geometric forms. The simplicity, ease and freedom in her designs have become her calling card. A champion of women, in the fashion industry and beyond, her work is guided by the idea of creating wearable luxury for women. Maria Comejo was honored as a winner of the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards in 2006. She has proudly been a member of the CFDA since 2003 and is a founding member of the CFDA's Sustainability Committee.

In 201 9, she was appointed to the CFDA Board of Directors by the new chairman, Tom Ford. Maria also sits on the board at Women.ny, a program is part of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, created to help support, empower and connect women in the city.