Top fashion designer, Dominican Fernando García and his partner Laura Kim, from South Korea, are behind the NYC Label Monse and are the designers of the classic tailored attire that former First Lady Michelle Obama wore when speaking up in favor of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz at the Democratic National Convention on 21 August 2024. Obama’s belted, crisscross, and sleeveless jacket with matching pants made a statement that evening.
Garcia and Kim are designers known for their modern spins on classic tailoring. Monse is their private label. They both are also co-creative directors at Oscar de la Renta.
The story has made many headlines in the US media. It brings to the forefront the diversity of the people in the United States, a major country strength.
Monse creative director Laura Kim, who runs the fashion house with Fernando Garcia, told Vanity Fair that she was excited that Obama was again wearing their fashions as the First Lady had done often during the final year of her husband Barack Obama’s presidency.
Women’s Wear Daily described the attire as “futuristic flair” from luxury fashion brand Monse’s resort 2025 collection.
The Washington Post’s Demetrius Freeman wrote: “The belted sleeveless tunic showed off Obama’s signature arms and featured a wrapped collar fashioned from its lapels, paired with slightly flooded pants and kitten heels by Jimmy Choo. It was one of the more subdued looks from Monse’s Resort 2025 collection, but a somewhat surprising choice for the former first lady.”
Monse Maison wrote on Instagram:
Last night, former First Lady @michelleobama graced the stage in the MONSE Resort 2025 Crisscross Jacket and Tuxedo Pant as she delivered a powerful speech at the #DNC in Chicago. Michele Obama embodies the MONSE woman in every way, exuding the strength and confidence that are at the core of our brand. We are honored to dress such an inspiring leader.”
Monse was founded in 2015 by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, who met when they were both working at Oscar de la Renta, only to later return as that label’s co-creative directors. “Monse” is derived from Garcia’s mother’s name, Monserrat.
“Laura and I just want to make women look empowered but hot,” Garcia said from the Monse office in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, as reported in The Washington Post. Kim concurred for the interview and added that Obama provided a perfect encapsulation of their approach to deconstructed menswear for women. “I feel like last night, she really embodied our philosophy behind the brand better than we could ever have planned.”
The Washington Post reports that the suit is available for preorder on the Monse website, where the jacket sells for US$1,690 and the trousers for US$890 and should be delivered to customers in November.
Fernando García is of Dominican and Spanish heritage. He would study architecture in Indiana, USA at the University of Notre Dame, but his heart was always in fashion design. Through a family contact with Frank Rainieri in the Dominican Republic, he was given a chance to work at Oscar de la Renta where he found his soul mate in fellow designer Laura Kim. The rest is history.
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La Nueva España
22 August 2024