DESIGNER WHITE HOUSE: In what appears to be a first for fashion, First Lady Michelle Obama has invited some of her favorite American designers and fashion executives to a “Celebration of Design” event at the White House on Oct. 8. Maria Cornejo will be among the guests at the 5 p.m. reception. Executives from Jimmy Choo and Talbots also are expected.
Formal invitations from FLOTUS were e-mailed late Friday, with invitees advised to send their Social Security numbers and other necessary details to her social secretary.
This story first appeared in the September 15, 2014 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
The gathering coincides with the Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s National Design Week, which runs from Oct. 4 to Oct. 12. The White House party will be held on the eve of the Target-sponsored National Design Awards at Pier Sixty in New York. That Oct. 9 gala will celebrate 15 years of American design.
![“It’s passion that helps get anybody to a certain point and it’s what’s propelled me,” said Kith founder @ronniefieg, one of WWD’s 40 under 40: a group of industry notables who are changing the face of retail, fashion and beauty. Fieg, who opened a Manhattan flagship on October 7, began his career at age 13 as a stock boy and salesman for footwear chain David Z. “I think staying true to [my] beliefs, hard work and passion have gotten me to where [Kith] is today.” See the rest of the 40 at WWD.com. (📷: @vsteves) #wwd40](https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/p640x640/22352141_1688998824506921_23418811692613632_n.jpg)
