Michelle Obama's Stylist Meredith Koop Just Launched Her First Fashion Collaboration
Meredith Koop served as stylist and wardrobe advisor to Michelle Obama for the entirety of the Obama administration. It was Koop who helped define the First Lady's modern, inclusive, and often groundbreaking style during her time in the White House. Now, the stylist and consultant is bringing her talents to a project tailor-made for all working women.
For her first-ever partnership with a fashion brand, Koop collaborated with Cuyana on its New Office Collection, a range of pieces that merge the contemporary woman's working wardrobe with her everyday pieces. The brand, known for its "fewer, better things" tagline, wanted to create a streamlined range of essentials that women could wear no matter where they work-from the corporate office to a shared workspace or home office-and transition into their downtime. When it came to conceptualizing and styling the collection, Koop was the perfect choice.
"We absolutely admired the way she worked with First Lady Michelle Obama-it was a completely modern approach that married style with substance, which really resonated with us-but Meredith is an expert at styling all kinds of women," Shilpa Shah, co-founder of Cuyana, told BAZAAR.com. "She has a very innate understanding of the modern woman and her need for a versatile wardrobe that can adapt to any situation while helping her remain stylish and most importantly, give her the confidence she needs to succeed."
For Koop, the partnership made just as much sense. "I want to work with companies that are like-minded in their view towards not only the environment, but how clothes are made-particularly because so many clothes and accessories are made by women," she told BAZAAR.com. "I think the duality in respecting women is not only in the women that you're selling to or how you represent women in your campaigns, but also how you consider the workforce of women behind the clothing industry."
Koop, who serves as a consultant for The Wing D.C., called on four friends who work at the women-only co-working space to star in the Cuyana campaign. "It's cool that we partnered with The Wing because [it's] unique in its intention to bring women together in a professional and personal sense. Really that was chosen as a reflection...people go there and work, they socialize, they have meetings there, they hang out there all day, and take phone calls."
Yene Damtew (a personal hairstylist and salon owner), Soumeya Benghanem (chief product officer and founder of Strategy & Action), Sarween Salih (owner of S3 Active), and Kristin Jones (co-founder and partner at Inside Projects) all model the New Office collection for the campaign. The looks include easy-to-wear knits, corporate-appropriate blouses, and a range of leather bags ideal for every woman's wardrobe.
“These are women that I know. I chose them because of what they do more than how they look, even though I think they are all very beautiful," Koop explained. "But I think what they do and the way that they are in the world is really the cake and then the way that they look and what they're wearing is the icing on the cake."
So, did working with Michelle Obama change Koop's perception of fashion and how she styles women? "Yes, for sure," Koop said, taking a moment to pause before continuing, "My perception of fashion and styling is changing every day. I think that should be true for everyone, because our culture is changing every day. Fashion should reflect that. It shouldn't be a stagnant proposition."
