Gabriela Hearst, the Uruguayan designer based in New York, always includes a bit of her country in her designs, but this time, her collection leaves aside the Creole touch to give place to the sensuality of women.
However, wool and the natural materials which characterizes her designes and Uruguay are still present in her creations, this new collection, and the brand Gabriela Hearst has a more minimal and elegant approach. Gabriela is a merino wool natural ambassador and this year she won the regional competition for the United States «Woolmark Price» award from The Woolmark Company, an Australian organization dedicated to promoting the use of merino wool.
What differentiates your new collection from the previews one?
Actually the new collection is an evolution, the Resort collection would be part A of a story, and the Spring Summer the part B. They are two collections that are sold at the same time, one comes before the other one, but later they coexist at a store, so they have to have a lot of consistency, they have to make sense together. I would have to say they have the same root, but the Resort, as it’s delivered to stores in November, it has more winter wear, it’s more “wear now”.
How is the process of producing Gabriela Hearst’s garments?
Long and difficult. We start with the fabrics, the knits and the types of materials we use, we put a lot of attention into material, then this has to make sense within the minimum used of materials. We work with the best factories there are in Italy, which makes things easier. Because when you work with skilled people it is easier. But the most difficult work of the company is the one of the production manager.
Dressing the modern woman with materials and garments with respect to quality and a love of clothes to make them last a lifetime.
Could you say it is contemporary or an avant-garde collection?
I wouldn’t know if I could define it that way, it’s a collection that dresses the modern woman with quality, which thinks of women needs more than in anything else. The inspiration of this collection is centered on dressing women. I would define it as: «Dressing the modern woman with materials and garments with respect to quality and a love of clothes to make them last a lifetime.»
What is the profile of the woman your collection is directed to?
The collection is for women in general, age is of very a wide range, but it is for women who know what they want, they like to be well dressed. Actually what I try to offer is more of a service, that the woman doesn’t have to spend much time thinking about what to wear, to dress quickly with clothes and feel comfortable, cute and stylish with products that make her happy.
The Nina purse, why is it called Nina? And why is the only purse model within the accessories?
The purse is called Nina after Nina Simone, one of the singers or voices I grew up with and actually the purse was born because a friend told me: «you need a purse to complete your look» and made the purse for me, I walked with the prototype and people told me it was lovely and then I made a limited series of 20 purses and it was a boom.
Are you interested in the production with environmentally friendly materials? How do you feel about eco-leather?
Yes, I feel appealed to have nature and the environment as core values of the company. When you work in the luxury business, such as my job, one uses materials and companies which work with many regulations and have the best quality. Generally, more selective products, not as massive, can be more sustainable, given that we make only a few and these are made with high quality materials which it all ends up been eco-friendlier and when you’re a small company is very easy.
With eco-leather, I do not know how I feel, because it is polyester. It is not biodegradable, if it´s polyester, it’s not fiber that appeals me a lot, because it’s oil.
For more information on Gabriela Hearst click here.
Interview by Paz Pitalluga
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