The real passion of Gabriela Hearst, the creative director of the Parisian house of Chloé, is sustainability, not fashion. But she works in a luxury business where clothes and handbags pay bills and salaries. Can she balance the books between the environmental and business bottom lines?
It is this question, rather than what length skirts should be this season, that keeps Hearst up at night. “I never think about trends. If I hit a trend it’s a complete accident. I inherited my mum’s wardrobe, my daughters take their denim from me. Quality is everything. People ask why my clothes cost so much. It is because the fabric and construction will last your lifetime and beyond.”
