Zero + Maria Cornejo. Spring 2021 RTW - New York

(Images:  Zero + Maria Cornejo.  All credit)

One could look back, in a brief moment of study, at 2020, in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in January, to see it as one biggest balls up in the history of dealing with a widespread viral outbreak.  Knowing that from the past that has many examples of how not to handle a pandemic.  Communication is the key and sharing of knowledge should be paramount, not politicization which instead took center stage.  Hap hazard lock downs from an initial outbreak, morphing to an all out opening of flood gates for the Northern Hemisphere Spring Summer tourism drive, has unleashed a second wave throughout Europe.  With America jostling back and forth on opening and reopening its economy, while a President has relayed constantly that the virus was overblown by his detractors.  In this tit for tat antagonizing throughout media platforms and protests from both sides of politics, has only exasperated the outbreak.

So, how does  the creative, more so the fashion designer unravel all this societal confusion?  While maintaining their perspective markets?  Hard question/s after the first lockdown, without a definitive answer.  However designers such as New York resident Maria Cornejo continue to build into a changed world, with collections that reflect the complete uncertainty of what will come next.  As noted with some of the 2021 showings so far with these digital fashion weeks, there has been a slight shift back into the avant-garde looks that hold a darker resonance.  Which makes sense, as a virus has forced, without being conscious, a change onto the human race and we haven't coped too well.  

Cornejo's Spring Ready-to-wear styles sit within the dark and light of what a new day may bring, maintaining her take on cleaner modernist looks which has been her selling benchmark.  She has aligned her latest collection into more of a drapy and patterned array, reflecting dare I say, an experimental and slightly more avant-garde appeal.

Keeping in line with Cornejo's use of fabrics such as viscose, linen and cotton, it is the synthetic blends such as polymide and polyester which allow for her structured looks.  Also noted is the lookbook model wearing masks in some of the photos, which is going to be an obvious trend going into 2021.