Hyundai Motor debuts upcycled Re:Style collection by Zero + Maria Cornejo in New York

– Hyundai Motor Company debuted its Re:Style collection in partnership with Zero + Maria Cornejo at a star-studded event during the 2020 Spring / Summer New York Fashion Week.

Re:Style was devised under the theme ‘saving the planet in style’, to highlight the shared challenges of textile waste within the automotive and fashion industries. 

The catwalk presentation, held at the fashionable PUBLIC Kitchen restaurant in New York on 6 September, was attended by more than 300 prominent fashion industry insiders, influencers and celebrities representing the millennial generation, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Rowan Blanchard, accompanied by music from up-and-coming artists Rainey Qualley and Bec Adams.

The 15-piece capsule collection focuses on upcycling, an emerging trend that encourages the transformation of waste or second-life materials into new products. To bring the collection to life, 

Hyundai Motor teamed up with Zero + Maria Cornejo, a brand rooted in the use of ecological and sustainable fabrics. The company constantly works to reduce fabric waste by finding creative uses for leftover materials.

The collection has been created using leftover leather from global automotive seat manufacturer Hyundai Transys, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Company.

Other upcycled materials used by Zero + Maria Cornejo include 100% organic cotton Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold Dylan denim. The result is a high-end, excusive range of new clothing styles, shapes and silhouettes, that connect with people who care deeply about the environment and value ethical consumption.
“The whole idea is to do something creative with things that have had a previous life. 

It’s about making something new, and re-imagining existing things,” The fashion label's founder, Maria Cornejo said. “Re-create, re-imagine, re-cycle. How do we get creative with less? By collaborating with Hyundai, we prove that our ethos of sustainability and waste reduction is applicable in other sectors. We hope it inspires others to carefully consider how they use fabrics in manufacturing.”

In addition to the catwalk collection, Hyundai and Zero + Maria Cornejo have designed a run of limited-edition t-shirts that are being sold in-store and on the Zero + Maria Cornejo website, www.zeromariacornejo.com, with the proceeds benefiting environmental organizations. The program will also include branded content and a partnership with Nylon, a leading pop culture and fashion media outlet.

Re:Style was conceived by Hyundai as a way to engage customers who value ethical consumption, care deeply about the environment and are sensitive to the manufacturing processes behind what they’re wearing. 

Re:Style is the company’s second cultural project following last year’s 'Style Nite' fashion event at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Following the success of the New York event, the Re:Style program will head to Beijing Fashion Week. There it will debut another sustainable collection with a notable Chinese designer, continuing Hyundai’s creative approach to reaching eco-conscious and trend-focused millennials.

“Hyundai Motor created Re:Style to keep driving the dialogue around sustainability,” Wonhong Cho, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Hyundai Motor said. “By partnering with Zero + Maria Cornejo, we aim to prove that you can create something beautiful and new from something used or discarded. We look forward to taking this project around the world and not only continue to shine a light on this important ecological issue, but also expand productive relations with the Millennial generation.”

The collaboration is also another step towards Hyundai making an impact in sustainability and lessening its eco-footprint, as evidenced by the recent debut of the Hyundai NEXO, its first dedicated fuel cell electric vehicle that produces zero carbon emissions. The company has also worked with the BBC on a series titled 'Innovators of Tomorrow', which shares innovators’ vision for a better future, as well as sponsoring various global initiatives including a Sustainable Water Circulation Project in the Philippines and a Dream Village Project, improving underdeveloped villages in Chennai, India.

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Photo Caption 

- Photo 1: Sarah Jessica Parker, an actress in the popular U.S. TV series “Sex and the City,” poses in upcycled clothes created by Hyundai Motor Company and fashion brand Zero+ Maria Cornejo.
- Photo 2-3, 5:  Fashion models pose dressed up in upcycled outfits jointly produced by Hyundai Motor Company and fashion brand Zero+ Maria Cornejo.
- Photo 4: Fashion models pose with T-shirts upcycled with regenerated fibers from recycled plastic bottles and tote bags made out of airbag materials.

About Zero + Maria Cornejo
Maria Cornejo has been a member of CFDA, The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. since 2003 and is a founding member of the Sustainable Committee. Maria’s long-term commitment to local manufacturing and responsible design has stewarded and catalyzed conversations of change in the American Fashion Industry. Maria served as the 2018 Brand Ambassador to Premiere Vision New York, creating a special sustainable capsule collection to help draw attention to the areas of sustainability, innovation and local manufacturing in the industry. In 2018, Maria was honored with the Fashion Group International’s Sustainability Award at their Night of the Stars Gala in New York City. Maria continues to direct her design team from her Bleecker Street atelier creating garments for empowered women everywhere, including Michelle Obama, Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore, Anne Hathaway and more.

About Hyundai Motor
Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond with its range of world-class vehicles and mobility services available in more than 200 countries. Hyundai sold more than 4.5 million vehicles globally in 2018 and is currently employing more than 110,000 employees worldwide. Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product line-up with vehicles that are helping to build solutions for a more sustainable future, such as NEXO, the world’s first dedicated hydrogen-powered SUV.