First Lady Talks Fashion, Plugs Spanx at White House Workshop
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — First lady Michelle Obama hosted a “fashion education workshop” at the White House on Wednesday, bringing together aspiring designers and entrepreneurs with industry success stories, like Obama mega-donor and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Mrs. Obama wore a dress designed by one of the students in attendance — she twirled in it on stage to show it off.
The first lady spoke about her experience as a fashion icon:
“When it comes to the fashion industry, so often people think it’s all about catwalks and red carpets and ‘who wore it best,’ and whether some famous person wore the right belt with the right shoes — like I’d know what that’s like,” she said. “But the truth is that the clothes you see in the magazine covers are really just the finished product in what is a very complicated and very difficult process, as I’ve come to learn working with many designers.”
She also plugged Sara Blakely, the creator of the American-made Spanx:
“She pitched her idea to factories and mills…she was turned down again and again and again. But finally, a manager at a factory liked her idea, and today, 14 years later, Sara’s idea, Spanx, is a multibillion-dollar company with products selling in more than 50 countires,” Mrs. Obama said.
“And we all wear them with pride,” she quipped to laughter.
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