Born in Chile, Cornejo moved to England as a child, and her career spans London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo, where she was part of the Richmond Cornejo partnership, later developing her signature Maria Cornejo collection. She moved to New York in 1996, where she opened her Nolita atelier and store. In 2006, she won the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award. Cornejo opened a second store in New York’s far-West Village in 2006, and in 2009 moved to a new flagship/showroom/atelier on Bleecker street. Her line is sold in Canada, London, Paris, Moscow, Dubai, Seoul and Hong Kong as well as the U.S. Her clients include first lady Michelle Obama, Tilda Swinton and Cindy Sherman.