Taking inspiration from growing up in Uruguay and her life in New York, traces of this can be seen in her collection which sees constructions and luxurious materials at the heart of the line, cue the finest of cashmere, timeless yet contemporary dresses, sharp tailoring as well as textured separates.
Felicity Carter: What was your first fashionable memory?
Gabriela Hearst: Watching Disney's “Cinderella", the scene where the mice and birds help her make a new dress for the ball. I was so inspired. I was maybe six years old and I went to my grandmother’s closet and started cutting her hand made silk lace sleeping gowns to make a dress. She was actually wonderful because she thought it was charming.
FC: How would you sum up your aesthetic?
GH: I am always attracted to things that don’t look opulent on the first glance but there is an unexpected wealth from the materials to the construction. For example, we have a rustic looking cashmere that has the softest hand I've ever felt. It catches you by surprise. I like the sense of underestimation with a reveal that comes later.
FC: Your line is brilliantly current - how do your clothes get to that point?
GH: Thank you so much, I still feel we are at the beginning of where we want to go with what we are doing. But one of the things we have been committed to from the start is the uncompromising quality of our materials, construction and design. We look at how the raw materials are sourced and the social component of who is making our clothes. The sense of touch is extremely important for the psychology of the woman we dress, so we make sure that everything has the best hand we can achieve.
FC: What’s your process from sketch to production to the customer?
GH: It starts with the main inspiration. Then I start to have ideas that I sketch into it, sometimes they're for the current season we are working on or for the future one. The ideas pop up unexpectedly but I noticed that a usual time is after meditation or when I am about to fall asleep. It’s when my mind quiets down and my subconscious starts digesting. With the raw sketches we review them with the team, and they are made into technical sketches that get prototyped ( an average of two times depending on the category), then samples. After the selling season we review for the second or third time our comments for production. Our rule is that production has to be always superior than sampling. 6 to 7 months later it’s in the hands of our customers.
FC: What do you want women to feel in your clothes?
GH: Loved, strong and sensual. Ready for action and for the mountain tops and valleys that the journey of life gives us.
FC: Talk us through the collection...
GH: Our Spring 2018 collection, where we looked at men of style and menswear, was a prelude to the Fall 2018 collection. For Fall the main inspiration was women that had to dress like men to enter the work force. Our research focused on female Victorian coal miners as well as WWI and WWII factory workers. So many interesting facts came to life while studying the formidable power of women.
FC: Who are the supporters of your brand?
GH: Bergdorf Goodman, Net A Porter, Matches Fashion, Selfridges, Bon Marche, Isetan
FC: Which is your favourite item/s from your collection?
GH: Double face reversible cashmere coat. We develop the cloth from scratch. Its a houndstooth on one side and prince of wales check on the other.
FC: How has your brand evolved?
GH: I believe that after three years we have proven with our diverse categories and the new ones we’ve introduced that we can truly be a lifestyle luxury house. All of our categories are a successful part of the business: handbags, knits, outwear, suiting, woven and shoes.
FC: The greatest lesson learned?
GH: Never believe the hype.
