From the moment her design-led atelier opened doors in Nolita in 1998, Cornejo has remained true to her experimental aesthetic—simple geometric shapes as a foundation to create clothing with no shoulder seams, side seams, darts, collars, or buttons. It’s her innovative and timeless vision that has garnered the brand legions of devoted fans.

In celebration of the anniversary, the CFDA Board Member teamed up with the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) for a two-day festivity to raise meaningful support for the museum’s teen programs.

On May 3, Cornejo and her close friend and artist Tara Donovan—the New York native known for her large-scale installations, sculptures and drawings that utilize everyday objects to explore the transformative effects of accumulation and aggregation—held a conversation to share thoughts and reflections on their creative practice and how each has informed and inspired the other.

The following day, Zero + Maria Cornejo returned to the runway after a four-year hiatus of shows to debut the fall-winter 2023 collection at museum MCA Denver, held in collaboration with MAX Clothing Stores.

The collection revisited Cornejo’s original impulse to return to a purity of design and was anchored by re-editions of some of the iconic pieces that have exemplified her approach from 1998 until today.

Notably, these include the Triangle Top 1998, worn by the late Stella Tennant; the One-Piece Wrap Dress 1999, first worn by Chloë Sevigny; the Koya Coat 2011, featured at the Met Museum Costume Institute’s “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”; and the Pod Shrug and Back Tuck Skirt 2000, both now in the Museum of FIT’s permanent collection and as featured in the exhibition “Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA”.

The new collection will be offered as limited editions and act as a statement of intent and a reset button to chart a course for the future of Zero, while continuing the focus on sustainable practices that has been there from the very start.