Gabriela Hearst facts for kids

Gabriela Hearst (born November 3, 1976) is a fashion designer from Uruguay. She creates fancy clothes and accessories for women. Besides her own fashion brand, she also manages her family's ranch in Uruguay.

Early Life and Education

Gabriela grew up on her family's ranch in Paysandú, Uruguay. This ranch is about 400 kilometers from the capital city, Montevideo. She went to The British School in Montevideo. Later, she earned a degree in communications from Universidad ORT Uruguay. In her early twenties, she moved to New York to study acting.

Gabriela's Fashion Journey

In 2004, Gabriela started her first fashion brand called Candela. She began with just $700. Her first items were T-shirts with cool designs of a winged woman on a horse. By 2006, Candela grew to include more clothes and shoes.

After many years in design, Gabriela became a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2012. This is a group for top fashion designers.

Her Own Brand: Gabriela Hearst

In 2015, Gabriela launched her own fashion label, named after herself. Her brand is known for its amazing quality and new ideas. She uses special materials, like fabric that can block radiation from phones. She also uses super-fine merino wool and aloe-treated linen. This special linen is soft and can even moisturize skin!

Her brand is also very focused on being good for the environment. She uses wool from her own sheep farm in Uruguay. This helps to reduce waste. She was also the first brand to use special bags that can be composted. These bags break down in just 24 weeks.

Her first famous bag was the Nina Bag, named after singer Nina Simone. Gabriela first gave these bags to women she admired. Soon, many people wanted one, and there was a long waiting list!

In 2019, a big luxury company called LVMH invested in Gabriela Hearst's brand. This helped her brand grow all over the world.

Designing for Important Moments

In 2021, Gabriela designed the dress for First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Dr. Biden wore this dress for the presidential inauguration. The ivory dress had flowers from all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. embroidered on it. This design showed a message of unity.

In 2021, the Financial Times newspaper named Gabriela one of the 25 most influential women of the year. In 2024, TIME magazine honored her with a TIME Earth Award. This award recognizes people who are helping the planet.

Leading Chloé

In December 2020, Gabriela became the Creative Director of Chloé. This is a famous luxury fashion brand from Paris. Gabriela is the first female designer with both Uruguayan and American heritage to lead a Paris fashion house.

For her first collection at Chloé, she honored the brand's founder, Gaby Aghion. She focused on sustainability. She used special details like scalloped edges and repurposed old bags. She even made backpacks from leftover fabric. The sales of these backpacks helped donate special sleeping bag garments to homeless people.

Being Sustainable

Gabriela Hearst is a leader in sustainable fashion.

Eco-Friendly Fashion Shows

In 2017, Gabriela had her first fashion show. She made sure it created very little waste. She used no plastic and borrowed furniture from her home. She even made cashmere pillows for guests from leftover yarn.

For her Fall 2018 collection, she was the first brand to use compostable bio-plastics for all packaging. These special plastics break down in compost in just 24 weeks.

In 2020, Gabriela Hearst had the first carbon-neutral fashion show. This means she worked to reduce the show's carbon footprint. She booked models who didn't need to fly and used local food. She also donated money to a project in Kenya. This project provides clean cookstoves to families, which helps reduce pollution.

Smart Clothes and Waste

Gabriela also uses digital IDs for her clothes. Each item has a QR Code. You can scan it to learn where the clothes came from and how they were made. This helps customers understand how to recycle their clothes.

Her Autumn/Winter 2020 collection was all about "waste." She used old Turkish rugs to make coats. She also took apart old clothes from her own stock and rebuilt them. About 30% of the collection was made from recycled cashmere.

Gabriela aims to use 80% recycled materials by 2023. She wants to use no new materials by 2022.

Fusion Energy Awareness

Gabriela is also passionate about fusion energy. This is a clean energy source that could help fight climate change.

In 2022, she spoke at a big United Nations climate conference (CoP27) in Egypt. She talked about how fusion power can help.

She even dedicated her Chloé Spring/Summer 2023 collection to fusion energy. Her team learned from scientists and engineers to create the collection. In 2023, she spoke at another UN climate conference (CoP28) in Dubai.

Famous People Who Wear Her Designs

Many famous people have worn Gabriela Hearst's clothes. These include Gillian Anderson, Laura Dern, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, Brie Larson, Demi Moore, Emma Watson, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, and Jill Biden.

Working with Others

Gabriela often works with other groups and artists.

In 2016, she partnered with Manos del Uruguay. This group helps craftswomen earn fair wages by making handmade tweeds from Gabriela's wool.

She has also worked with Swarovski to use donated crystals on dresses. For the Met Gala in 2017, she designed a special gown with actress Laura Dern.

Gabriela has opened stores in London and Beverly Hills. These stores are designed to be very sustainable. They use natural materials and recycled wood.

In 2020, she partnered with EON. This company uses QR codes to give clothes a digital identity. This helps customers learn about their clothes' journey.

In 2021, she worked with the Navajo community. She brought their crafts into her collection. In 2023, she launched her first perfumes, inspired by Uruguay and New York.

For the 2024 Met Gala, Gabriela designed a special dress and cape for actress Lily Gladstone. The cape had hand-embroidered stars made from recycled silver and glass beads.

Helping Others

Gabriela Hearst is very involved in helping others.

In 2016, she worked with Tod's on a special sneaker. 20% of the money from sales went to Save the Children.

In 2017, she visited Kenya to see the effects of a severe drought. She then partnered with Net-a-Porter and Bergdorf Goodman to sell her handbags. She promised to donate $600,000 to Save the Children. This money helped over 1,000 families buy food, water, and livestock.

Since 2018, Gabriela has been on the Board of Trustees for Save the Children. She continues to support their work. For example, in 2019, she donated 100% of her brand's profits for a week to help people in Yemen.

She also supports Our Children's Trust. This group works to protect children's right to a stable climate.

Awards and Recognition

Gabriela Hearst has won many awards for her designs and her commitment to sustainability.

Where to Find Her Designs

Gabriela Hearst's designs are sold in over 50 stores around the world. These include famous stores like Le Bon Marché, Bergdorf Goodman, and Selfridges.

In 2018, she opened her first main store in New York City. This store was built without any man-made materials or chemicals. It uses natural, reclaimed wood. Vogue magazine called it "the most beautiful store in New York City."

She also has a store in London, designed with architect Lord Norman Foster. This store also focuses on sustainability. The furniture is made from a tree that fell in a storm, and the lights dim automatically.

In 2023, she opened her first store on the West Coast in Beverly Hills, California.

Personal Life

Gabriela Perezutti married John Augustine Hearst in 2013. She lives in Manhattan, New York, with her husband and their three children.