Why Gabriela Hearst's Good For The Planet And The Fashion Industry!

In a world where things are spinning out of control (seen the wild weather grabbing global headlines?), Gabriela Hearst is making a different kind of mark with her appointment as Chloe’s latest custodian. Keng Yang Shuen reports on why it’s good for the planet and the industry.

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“From Gaby to Gabi, two ambitious women interpreting femininity in the context of their time,” reads the press notes for Chloe’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection – the first under the brand’s new creative director Gabriela Hearst. Gaby, of course, refers to the late Gaby Aghion, the Parisian maison’s Egypt-born founder; while Gabi is the nickname for her latest successor.

Context is everything. Aghion founded Chloe in 1952 and in doing so, famously coined the term “pret-a-porter” with her vision of effortlessly feminine day dresses – a stark delineation from the period’s structured silhouettes and couture houses that were all helmed by men. In 2021 however, an argument can be made that personal values and priorities have become fashion’s most powerful currency.

Enter Hearst, whose six-year-old eponymous label quickly came to be known for sumptuous, well-tailored pieces and accessories typically fashioned out of top-end fabrics like wafer-thin merino wool and even recycled cashmere. Her choice of materials speaks of her relentless focus on sustainability, a central tenet to her as a person. In recent years, the Uruguay-born designer has become one of the industry’s most prominent advocates of overhauling the system, staging what was reportedly the first carbon-neutral show back in 2019 with her Spring/Summer 2020 collection. It had a ripple effect; behemoths like Gucci soon followed suit.