3What is your favourite thing to design?
“I’d really love to do a collaboration with a
watchmaker, a heritage house that I really
like, because I enjoy the learning process.
I like things that last. If it’s a good watch,
you want to have it for the rest of your
life, and you will pass it down through
generations. And that’s also what I want
to achieve with my clothes.”Whatareyoumostproudof?
“Weraisedfundswithour
handbagstocover1,500families
duringthe 2017 droughtin
Africathataffected 20 million
people.Wemanagedtoraise
US$600,000intwodays.And
theproudestthingIhaveismy
team.BecauseIhavealotofideas,
butvisionwithoutexecutionis
hallucination.”What are your
2020 resolutions?
“I want to go on a
retreat for a week
with no cellphone
and be alone. I also
want to structure my
professional life such
that I am with the
product at all times- from creation and
inception to the
development and
production. I hope
to spend more time
with the retail teams
in our stores because
I really enjoy it.
And, of course, I’ll
continue working
on my fabulous six
pack.” – VW
HowdidGabrielaHearststart?
“Ihadanotherready-to-wearlabel
before.WestarteditwithUS$700
anditmadeUS$1millioninitsfirst
year.ButIcouldnotcontinueas
itwasreallynotwheremyheart
was.Ithought:Whydoesthe
worldneedanotherfashionbrand?
Maybeitneedsaverygoodluxury
brandthatmakesproductstolast,
andmakesthemwithintegrity.”PHOTO OF GABRIELA HEARST: PHOTOGRAPHY
VERONICA TAY
STYLING
DEBBY KWONG
How do you
balance family
and work time?
“With
humbleness,
grace and trying
to not lose the plot
completely. You
have to be a little
bit crazy to do
this job, but don’t
go all the way. I
think the most
important thing
is to never believe
the hype. It’s
not about fame.
It’s not about
anything else. It’s
about your work.
It’s about what
you do.”What’s the next step for fashion
when it comes to sustainability?
“The time for good intentions is
over. Now, we have to be accountable- what you are talking about must
match what you are doing. For
example, my S/S ’20 runway show
was carbon neutral. We did all
the models’ hair without electric
appliances; no models were fl own
in; everything was repurposed and
recycled; and we catered local. This
will not be a once-off. We’re going do
it for all our shows to see if we can
reduce our carbon footprint.”
1 Designer
Gabriela Hearst’s
philosophy: “I have
two fundamentals:
long-term view
and sustainability. I
love what I do, and
I want to do what
I do for the rest of
my life. So I want to
make sure we pace
ourselves and are
doing things right.”
2 Named after
Diana Ross,
the Diana bag
resembles the
bellows of an
accordion. From
$3,990 for a Mini
in suede.
3 Nina, Hearst’s
signature bag
that’s named after
the late singer/
activist Nina
Simone. Despite its
irregular shape, it’s
spacious. Hearst’s
holds a hand-
sized sketchbook
and journal,
sunglasses,
wallet and two
cardholders –with
room to spare.
4 Joni is one of two
bags inspired by
singer-songwriter
Joni Mitchell, and
features drawer
compartments
with rose gold and
leather pulls.23429