Who started it? Maria Cornejo was born in Chile and moved to Britain with her family when she was a child. Her career has included tenures in London, Paris and Milan, where she worked as a creative consultant for retailers such as Joseph, Tehen and Jigsaw. In 1996, she relocated to New York and set up her atelier in the edgy Nolita district. In 1998, she opened her first store, stocking her signature line, Zero + Maria Cornejo. In 2006, she won the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award. She continues to show at New York Fashion Week and her clothes have been spotted on style icons including Tilda Swinton and Michelle Obama. The label is also available at fashion meccas such as Dover Street Market, in London, Barneys New York and Tsum, in Moscow.
Why we love it: Cornejo's style is modern and minimalist with a focus on design, cut and construction. Each piece has hidden details that flatter the body. Her designs use volume and circular shapes as a starting point and many garments are draped and cut from one piece of fabric. Each season she develops new cut and construction techniques.
The spring/summer collection is about contradictions, mixing sleek tailoring with loose silhouettes. Lines are skewed and off kilter. Seams twist around a linen dress then disappear. A bubble hem dress is held up by black grosgrain. There are also prints taken from photographs, from spikes of grass to a beach-house deck.
What we'd pick: the white silk cotton jacket (HK$4,900) with cutouts on the shoulders matched with linen shorts (HK$4,400; both right). For evenings, pair the silk Kala top (HK$3,900) with the Ochy draped skirt (HK$4,500; both far right).
Where can you get it? Zero + Maria Cornejo is available at Joyce, 16 Queen's Road Central, tel: 2810 1120.