It’s official now, Gabriela Hearst is leaving Chloé. After weeks of speculation, the French fashion house has now officially confirmed the departure from the designer.
After three years as Chloé’s creative director, Hearst’s latest collection will be unveiled at Paris Fashion Week on September 28, the Richemont-owned brand said on Thursday. During her tenure, the designer has “played a pivotal role in Chloé’s ongoing transformation into a mission-driven company.”
Hearst’s enduring legacy
The transformation driven by Hearst was particularly dedicated to sustainability. The Uruguayan-born designer brought her sustainable approach, for which her label Gabriela Hearst, founded in 2015, is also known to the French luxury fashion industry.
Under her stewardship, Chloé became the first luxury fashion house to be awarded B Corp certification in 2021, earning it earlier in the year. The digital product pass “Chloé Vertical” followed at the beginning of the year. What role the concept of sustainability will play for Chloé without Hearst remains to be seen, because the question of the designer’s successor remains open.
Hearst’s post-Chloé future is also uncertain, though she continued to lead her eponymous, New York-based brand during her time in Paris. As expected, she will return to focus fully on it after her departure.
Working at Chloé has been a great honor for Hearst, said the outgoing creative director, who also thanked Chloé CEO Riccardo Bellini and Richemont Fashion CEO Philippe Fortunato.
“Few houses have such a history of strong women leaders, each making their unique contribution to the Maison under the inspirational legacy of their founder, Gaby Aghion,” said Hearst. “I represent a standard of quality that leaves no room for compromise and I believe in acknowledging the interconnectivity we all belong to. I feel empowered and excited about working at Chloé and I also want to send a clear message that a woman can do anything and have fun doing it.”