“I had been a few days away from installing an exhibition at Michigan Technological University, when the lockdown started. We postponed the show, and are hopeful about 2021. The exhibition organizers have been great, and we talk regularly. Boxes of my work and 4 mannequins still out there in the Dean’s office! In some ways, a postponed show is a dream come true. All the things I wanted to add, change, or re-do, I’ve been able to.
The work for that show is a series of transformational clothing responding to climate change, and it’s been interesting how the ideas from that series lent themselves to what I’m making recently, in response to the pandemic. I’m pleased with how quickly the Roxbury Dinner Jacket came together. And it does address what you need for safety and socially distancing: a high collar, a snap-in face mask, and seat cover for cold chairs. Like a lot of people in this moment, my focus has become local-centric. 50% of the proceeds from each jacket will benefit Haley House, another way to connect to what has been an anchor in my neighborhood, as well as in the South End. “
-Cori Champagne
