Maria Cornejo Quotes

Just because you want to wear organic cotton doesn't mean you have to spend an arm and a leg.

Good design should follow looking into the products and reputation of clients who approach you, but this does not mean you have to follow them into bed.

It is no longer acceptable to ignore the suffering, and designers must take responsibility for the way that their fur is produced.

I am an urban vegan. I love the glossy pages of 'Vogue,' even though I won't purchase the leather shoes and bags I see there, and being reminded that the fur trade even exists breaks my heart.

I love jeans and T-shirts, but for red carpets, I like Oscar de la Renta, who is timeless. Marchesa celebrates the female form in an ethereal way. Donna Karan does an Urban Zen collection, which is eco-friendly. I love socially conscious fashion.

I'm a really big advocate of ethical fashion. I actually have a travelling boutique called Maison de Mode, which is all about ethical fashion. I also like Maiyet from Paris. They're very Celine-esque in their silhouettes. I love their back story, too: they work with orphans in Colombia and India.

Aficionados of Slow design and Slow fashion use ethical and green materials to make objects - furniture, clothes, jewellery - that lift the spirit and last a lifetime rather than one catwalk season.

I'm still driving a Prius, yeah.

It is difficult to separate oneself from one's design moralities.

Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If it isn't ethical, it can't be beautiful. But if it isn't beautiful, it probably shouldn't be at all.'

Fashion is a logical place to start to raise awareness for sustainable causes.

I think there is some resistance when people talk about ethical fashion, and a tendency to panic that if you're bringing a moral agenda and highlighting the origins of the garments, you can't incorporate style. But there's no reason why style and conscience can't co-exist.

What I really want to happen is for all companies to become eco - especially fast fashion companies.

Design shouldn't have to take a backseat to sustainability and making things responsibly.

My job is to make desirable, luxurious, beautiful clothing and accessories women want to buy. My first decision is always based on, 'Can I do this in a more sustainable way without sacrificing design?' If I can, then there is no reason not to.

For ethical fashion, I really like Reformation. It's so fashionable - no hemp trousers.

Goose down is super-unethical, and it's unnecessary. There are a lot of alternatives that are sustainable and just as warm.

Fundamentally, I am all about finding interesting and authentic ways to incorporate nature into most of my designs.

People don't realize that being eco-friendly doesn't require radical changes. It's not an all-or-nothing thing. Really, it's about very simple, little changes you can make. You can still be into fashion, care about what your skin looks like, or think about what bag you're going to carry that day. You just learn to incorporate better choices.

The fashion business has to change. There's too much waste.

My personal closet has mostly vintage and thrift store finds because I like to recycle in many ways.

I think it is important that we all try and be green where it is possible; an awareness of the world around us can never be a bad thing.

I stayed true to what I thought was good design no matter who it was for.

I can tell you what I am working on, which is being more cognizant of my actions and how they affect others, most I will never meet. I've begun with my purchases. I'm focusing on quality versus quantity - a nicer tee-shirt with organic cotton and buying just one or two instead of five that are cheaper but made with GMO cotton, which is hard on Earth. It's caring a little more beyond myself. And I think it may be our only hope - and it feels much better to my soul, which in the end may be all we have.

The really great thing about my shop is that there's not one dead animal in it. ... Manolo's got a load of fabric shoes as well! We use plastic, fabric, rubber- anything but leather. I almost feel like I've been put here to show everyone that it's unnecessary.