Maria Cornejo Goes to Washington
Filed under: News
On Wednesday morning, Michelle Obama's dream team of go-to designers including Maria Cornejo, Thakoon Panichgul, Narciso Rodriguez, and Jason Wu headed down to Washington D.C. to lobby for anti-piracy laws to be implemented for the fashion industry. Following the day-long excursion, Cornejo, whose own label, Zero Maria Cornejo, has been a steady favorite of the First Lady's, got in touch to tell us how it went. Below, in her own words.
We went down on Wednesday morning at 7:30 am. It was like a school field trip! No Air Force One for us, we flew American and Delta. We were there with Steven Kolb, President of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), and walked for miles in the halls, going from office to office talking to representatives on Capitol Hill. We probably saw about six or seven senators and afterward they had a cocktail party for us where we met the new generation of senators.
We explained the effect piracy was having on our business. When people start copying your designs, you are handing them the keys to your brain. It's bad for business, and for the industry as a whole. The only place where copying isn't illegal is in China and the United States. If someone copies my garment in France, I can sue them, but it's not discouraged here. If you are making a blatant copy, why not just give us the job? Give us the budget and we'll design something for you. I'm all for affordable fashion. My daughter shops at Target -- she bought a Thakoon skirt there and I'm into H&M. Both stores do great collaborations.
After the jump, Maria on Michelle Obama, the chicness of the women on Capitol Hill, and a photo of the boys...
Mrs. Obama has tended to wear my stuff on more low-profile occasions. Unlike like Jason (Wu), who, the day after the Inauguration, already had someone knocking off his dress and trying to sell it as the real thing. The same happened to Narciso and the wedding dress he designed for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
There are copyrights protecting musicians and writers, but this is the only industry where piracy is not illegal. Some stores have a 30-day return policy, so there are big companies that employ teams just to go buy a garment, copy it, then return it without even removing the sewing pins. Most people don't even know that this goes on.
I must say that we were a really effective team! People were really receptive. The lawyer/lobbyist that we're working with said she got great feedback from everyone. It's a good cause and it felt like we were able to help people understand the issues a little better.
Turns out, there are some very chic women on Capitol Hill. I even saw ostrich boots! The women wear brightly colored suits so they'll get noticed in the Senate. The men all wear suits and ties and especially pins. Apparently, Mrs. Obama was around (and wearing one of my jackets), but we didn't get to see her.
I was on my soapbox all day. By the end, I was tired of hearing myself talk, but it was great to be there. I've never been to Capitol Hill, only the White House. Upon leaving, I took a pamphlet featuring part of the Constitution. I wasn't born in the US, so I had never read it before. Then all the guys took one too. It was a little trend. In the end, everyone felt good about the day ...
We explained the effect piracy was having on our business. When people start copying your designs, you are handing them the keys to your brain. It's bad for business, and for the industry as a whole. The only place where copying isn't illegal is in China and the United States. If someone copies my garment in France, I can sue them, but it's not discouraged here. If you are making a blatant copy, why not just give us the job? Give us the budget and we'll design something for you. I'm all for affordable fashion. My daughter shops at Target -- she bought a Thakoon skirt there and I'm into H&M. Both stores do great collaborations.
After the jump, Maria on Michelle Obama, the chicness of the women on Capitol Hill, and a photo of the boys...
Mrs. Obama has tended to wear my stuff on more low-profile occasions. Unlike like Jason (Wu), who, the day after the Inauguration, already had someone knocking off his dress and trying to sell it as the real thing. The same happened to Narciso and the wedding dress he designed for Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
There are copyrights protecting musicians and writers, but this is the only industry where piracy is not illegal. Some stores have a 30-day return policy, so there are big companies that employ teams just to go buy a garment, copy it, then return it without even removing the sewing pins. Most people don't even know that this goes on.
I must say that we were a really effective team! People were really receptive. The lawyer/lobbyist that we're working with said she got great feedback from everyone. It's a good cause and it felt like we were able to help people understand the issues a little better.
Turns out, there are some very chic women on Capitol Hill. I even saw ostrich boots! The women wear brightly colored suits so they'll get noticed in the Senate. The men all wear suits and ties and especially pins. Apparently, Mrs. Obama was around (and wearing one of my jackets), but we didn't get to see her.
I was on my soapbox all day. By the end, I was tired of hearing myself talk, but it was great to be there. I've never been to Capitol Hill, only the White House. Upon leaving, I took a pamphlet featuring part of the Constitution. I wasn't born in the US, so I had never read it before. Then all the guys took one too. It was a little trend. In the end, everyone felt good about the day ...
