Designer’s Paris fashion week line-up includes secondhand handbags and upcycled streetwear
Can a mainstream luxury fashion brand built on “it bags” and ever-changing seasonal trends operate without detriment to the environment? That was the question put to designer Gabriela Hearst, a pioneer of sustainable fashion at her eponymous New York label, after her first Paris catwalk show since being appointed designer at the historic house of Chloé.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe it was possible,” replied Hearst on a Zoom call. “To see if it is possible – that is exactly why I am here.”
Hearst begins designing by choosing fabrics on environmental grounds, with sketches and silhouettes coming later. Practical changes already made at Chloé include eliminating virgin synthetic and artificial cellulosic fibre, and raising the percentage of cashmere yarn used for knitwear that is recycled to 80%. In the show, models carried secondhand Chloé handbags that had been bought back by the house from eBay sellers, patchworked and braided in leftover fabric remnants in the design studio.