Making Michelle Obama into a fashion trendsetter couldn't make Maria Pinto successful in the boutique clothing business. The fashion designer has shuttered her Chicago store, the Sun-Times is reporting and will be taking bankruptcy protection.
Mario Pinto said "economic challenges and soft buying trends at the top end of the apparel market" caused the failure of her business.
She is confident that the name Maria Pinto will continue as a fashion trendsetter, just not as a boutique store.
"I plan on using the next several months to explore different avenues and opportunities for business, as economic conditions improve."
Not only did Maria Pinto put Michelle Obama on the fashion map, her customers included Oprah Winfrey and the elite of Chicago movers and shakers.
Pinto matriculated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and New York's Parsons School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology. She worked for Geoffrey Beene in her first fashion job. In 1991, she launched her collection, which was carried in stores including Bergdorf Goodman.
She opened her Chicago boutique in 2008 the newspaper reported.
This is not the first time Maria Pinto has taken a break from the fashion world. Health and business problems forced a two year hiatus in 1999. In 2004 she returned and added a daytime collection to her clothing designs that were seen at Saks, Barneys and other upscale boutiques.
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