WHAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT? Fashion, fabrics, and fusion ⚡️, with Gabriela Hearst
May 7, 2025
Gabriela Hearst, Uruguayan-born designer and sustainable-fashion leader, built Chloé into a B Corp and champions traceable materials. She talks fusion power enthusiasm, swapping high-volume items for lower-impact materials, and how ranch upbringing shaped her long-term, quality-driven approach to climate work.
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Scaling Sustainability At Chloé During The Pandemic
- Gabriela moved Chloé's sustainability by treating the company like her own business and expanding the sustainability team from one to 13 people.
- She prioritized cost awareness, materials audits, and rapid hires despite pandemic conditions.
Change Materials To Shift Big Volumes
- When transforming a big brand, Hearst starts with materials and volume products because they drive scale.
- At Chloé she focused on recycled cotton denim, a recycled-poly sneaker, and swapping cotton totes for linen to shift big volumes.
Choose Fibers With Low Water And Traceability
- Hearst avoids conventional cotton because of monoculture, pesticides, and huge water use, preferring linen, wool, and recycled fibers.
- She used recycled cotton blended with hemp and now aims for 100% recycled cotton at GH.