Fashion Designer Gabriela Hearst’s First Job Was Cattle Ranching?

While many designers have dabbled in different careers before pivoting to fashion — Vera Wang got her start as an editor and Miuccia Prada previously acted as a mime — Gabriela Hearst’s transformation from cattle rancher in South America to one of the hottest designers on the planet is perhaps the most surprising and dramatic.

Hearst grew up on a farm. Born in Paysandú, Uruguay, and her ranching history runs six generations deep. Hearst’s father was a Gaucho at the family’s 17,000-acre ranch which Hearst now runs remotely on top of her designer duties. Herding cattle as a child, Hearst often cites her rural, nature-filled upbringing as inspiration for the luxurious, sustainable designs she creates for her namesake label and in her gig as creative director of iconic Parisian fashion house Chloé

Before being appointed creative director of Chloé in December 2020, Hearst gained a reputation for spearheading sustainable solutions in fashion through her eponymous label.  Hearst’s handbag business model is basically made-to-order, the waitlists and production are meticulously planned to avoid deadstock inventory. Gabriela Hearst was also the first fashion house to produce a fully carbon-neutral fashion show in 2019, and since then the brand has gone plastic-free, Hearst showcases her creations on recycled cardboard hangers, and her goal is to only use recycled materials by this year. As for her long-term eco goals Hearst hopes to use 80% deadstock fabric by 2025. And of course where trailblazing designer’s lead, others follow so here’s to a greener fashion future.

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