Former First Lady Michelle Obama defined a generation of style and activism, launching the careers of some of the biggest American fashion designers today.

Since the days of <a href="https://www.lofficiel.co.uk/woman/the-looks-of-the-first-lady-from-jackie-to-michelle-obama-from-melania-trump-to-jill-bid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackie Kennedy Onassis</a>, First Lady fashion has been observed and scrutinized by the public (even more than the politics at the time). In Barack Obama's two-term presidency and beyond, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop+culture/michelle-obama-is-officially-the-most-admired-woman-in-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michelle Obama</a> raised the bar for FLOTUS&nbsp;style by stepping&nbsp;out in some <a href="https://www.lofficiel.at/en/fashion/michelle-obama-39-s-best-looks-on-the-tour-of-her-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bright and bold pieces</a>. More recently, she broke the Internet in a pair of glittery, thigh-high <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a25640241/michelle-obamas-gold-boots-balenciaga/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Balenciaga boots</a>.
But Obama's style choices did more than just showcase her fashion sense. Unlike her successor Melania Trump&mdash;who has caused many stirs with her often tone-deaf looks, such as wearing a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/6/21/17489632/melania-trump-jacket-zara-i-really-dont-care-do-u" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jacket that read "I don't really care. Do U?"</a>&nbsp;to see detained migrant children&mdash;Obama used her style and influence to make a positive statement, giving a platform&nbsp;to up-and-coming&nbsp;American designers, many of whom are people of color, women, and from immigrant backgrounds. By picking emerging designers with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/now-what-life-post-protest-activism-as-a-lifestyle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">activism</a> stitched into the seams of their brand, Obama&nbsp;defined a generation of style not just in what she wore, but who she wore, creating some of fashion's biggest names and trailblazers&nbsp;in the years that followed.&nbsp;
On her birthday,&nbsp;L'OFFICIEL&nbsp;looks back on Obama's decade-long support of independent American fashion designers with 12&nbsp;of her&nbsp;best style moments.

For her debut as First Lady, Obama wore a flowing one-shoulder gown by <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/indya-moore-jason-wu-spring-2021-collection" target="_blank">Jason Wu</a>. This not only kicked off the career of the young New York-based designer, but was the first of many important moments for which Obama would wear his designs. She selected a red custom gown by Wu for her husband&#39;s second inauguration in 2013, and another custom lacy navy dress for President Obama&#39;s&nbsp;Presidential Farewell Address.

Jason Wu, 2009 Inaugural Ball 

Chicago-born designer for the stars <a href="https://www.m2057.com/" target="_blank">Maria Pinto</a> specializes in making timeless and &quot;nearly indestructible&quot; pieces for &quot;busy, chic women.&quot;&nbsp;Over the years, Obama wore many Pinto looks, including this classic teal dress at the 2008 Democratic Convention.

Maria Pinto, 2008 Democratic Convention

Thai-American fashion designer <a href="https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/past/posts/11803" target="_blank">Thakoon Panichgul</a>&nbsp;was a young, relatively unknown fashion designer when he gained the attention of Obama, who <a href="https://www.glamour.com/story/michelle-obama-wears-thakoon-d" target="_blank">made headlines</a> in&nbsp;the Radzimir kimono dress in 2008 for her husband&#39;s Presidential nomination acceptance speech. Thakoon&#39;s focus continues to be&nbsp;everyday wear: &quot;We want clothes that are well-designed and beautiful and special, but we want them to work for our everyday,&quot;&nbsp;<a href="https://thakoon.com/pages/about" target="_blank">Thakoon</a>&nbsp;said.&nbsp;&quot;We want to be able to afford them, too.&quot;

Thakoon, Presidential nomination acceptance speech in 2008

As one of her first fashion choices as First Lady, Obama started off strong with a custom made <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/08/isabel-toledo-beyond-michelle-obama-dress/596950/" target="_blank">Isabel Toledo</a> dress and overcoat, representing a local, female designer with an immigrant background. Toledo&nbsp;was an American-Cuban fashion designer based in New York who strived for simple yet sophisticated&nbsp;creations.

Isabel Toledo, 2009 Inaugural Parade

American designer <a href="https://hopeforflowers.com/" target="_blank">Tracey Reese</a> specializes in ready-to-wear clothing, and quickly established a following of working women looking for fun dresses at an accessible price point. Obama raised Reese to household name when she turned heads in her 2012 DNC custom dress, and Tracey Reese became one of Obama&#39;s go-to designers.&nbsp;

Tracey Reese, 2012 Democratic National Convention

Obama wore this classy pinstripe pantsuit, a creation by New York designer and eponymous label&nbsp;<a href="https://jonathansimkhai.com/" target="_blank">Jonathan Simkhai</a>. Simkhai&#39;s designs are rooted in individuality&nbsp;with designs that &quot;seek to embolden women with confidence and ease&quot; and &quot;push conventional design boundaries.&quot; It&#39;s no wonder Obama, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/14/422939253/michelle-obama-is-a-rock-star-for-global-teen-activists" target="_blank">her many feminist initiatives</a>,&nbsp;took to the philosophy of Simkhai&#39;s&nbsp;brand.&nbsp;

Jonathan Simkhai, Good Morning America in 2018

Korean-American fashion designer <a href="https://cfda.com/members/profile/doo-ri-chung" target="_blank">Doo-Ri Chung</a>&nbsp;worked personally with Obama to custom make one of her asymmetrical purple gowns for the Obama&rsquo;s 2011 state dinner for South Korea, made with Chung&rsquo;s classic draped Jersey fabric. In this designer choice, Obama was able to merge cultures in her fashion, as well as give a platform to an independent designer.

Doo-Ri Chung, 2011 State Dinner for South Korea

San Francisco native&nbsp;<a href="https://byronlarsbeautymark.com/" target="_blank">Byron&nbsp;Lars</a>&nbsp;started his own line in 1991 and received&nbsp;Women&#39;s Wear Daily&#39;s&nbsp;&quot;Rookie of the Year&quot; honor in the same year.&nbsp;He began to collect the attention of various retailers, from Nordstroms to Bloomingdale&#39;s, and even started designing custom made&nbsp;<a href="https://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/byron-lars-barbie-dolls" target="_blank">Barbie</a>&nbsp;outfits.&nbsp;Lars became a favorite independent American fashion designer of Obama&mdash;from featuring in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michelle-obama-wears-byron-lars-dress-new-first-family-official-portrait-274390" target="_blank">First Family Portrait</a>&nbsp;to this dress for the 2012 Christmas in Washington concert.&nbsp;

Byron Lars, 2012 Christmas in Washington Concert

In a crowd&nbsp;of dark suits, Obama took a bright stance at&nbsp;the 2016 State of the Union address in a sleek&nbsp;<a href="https://www.narcisorodriguez.com/" target="_blank">Narciso Rodriguez</a>&nbsp;dress. Though Jersey-born fashion designer Rodriguez was no stranger to celebrity clients (he designed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/carolyn-bessette-kennedy-best-style-moments-90s" target="_blank">Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy&#39;s</a>&nbsp;wedding dress), the First Lady&#39;s marigold moment&nbsp;reached a new kind of popularity&mdash;<a href="https://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a33223/michelle-obama-state-of-the-union-dress-sold-out/" target="_blank">the dress sold out</a>&nbsp;before President Obama&#39;s speech was even over.

Narciso Rodgriguez, 2016 State of the Union Address

In her husband&#39;s second term, Obama attended a state dinner with Singapore&#39;s prime minister and his wife wearing <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/brandon-maxwell-fall-2020-fashion-week-photography" target="_blank">Brandon Maxwell</a>. At the time, the American designer was best-known for styling <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/pierpaolo-piccioli-talks-about-the-new-voce-viva-perfume-by-valentino" target="_blank">Lady Gaga</a>. The custom strapless ivory dress he created for Obama nods to the modern Americana style his namesake brand is known for today. &quot;Strong and elegant, she is the embodiment of the woman that inspires me to create, and a role model for women all over the world,&quot; Maxwell said of the opportunity. Obama has worn his creations on several occasions since then.

Brandon Maxwell, State Dinner 2016

Rachel Comey is an independent Brooklyn-based designer who often breaks away from fashion&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/finance/rachel-comey-goes-west" target="_blank">industry standards</a>. Obama sat down with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/tracee-ellis-ross-actress-model-style" target="_blank">Tracee Ellis Ross</a> at the United State of Women Summit in 2018 in&nbsp;Comey&#39;s white Sunder Dress, with a cinched belted waist and blazer&nbsp;top design.

Rachel Comey, 2018 United State of Women Summit

Obama&nbsp;turned heads in this vibrant&nbsp; orange silk wrap top and tonal trousers ensemble on stage for her book tour in 2019, giving a platform for <a href="https://fenoel.com/" target="_blank">Fe Noel</a>, an emerging fashion label out of New York. Once again, Obama blended her sense of style&nbsp;with&nbsp;activism,&nbsp;as the Fe Noel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/black-owned-fashion-brands-to-support" target="_blank">brand centers around&nbsp;empowering women of color</a>, often collaborating with Black female artists.

&nbsp;

12 Times Michelle Obama Championed Independent American Designers

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