Maria Cornejo

• Name — Maria Cornejo • Born — 1962 • Birthplace — Chile • Education — Ravensbourne College • Label Name — Zero + Maria Cornejo • Children — 2 • Awards — 2006 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award 2018 Fashion Group International Sustainability Award 2023 Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award • Occupation — Fashion designer

Cornejo was born in Chile in 1962. After the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, her parents, who had worked at a publishing company, lost their jobs. After staying in Peru for a year and London for six months, at the age of 12, she and her family relocated to Manchester, England during Pinochet's dictatorship. In 1977, her mother died. In 1984, she graduated from Ravensbourne College in London, and with John Richmond, created the Richmond/Cornejo label. She then moved to Paris and married Mark Borthwick in 1988. In 1996, Cornejo and her family moved to New York City. Two years later, in 1998, she opened a store called Zero which she converted from a garage space on Mott Street; the store was later renamed Zero + Maria Cornejo.

Cornejo's clients include Michelle Obama, Tilda Swinton, Christy Turlington and Cindy Sherman.