Designer Gabriela Hearst on her Hong Kong installation, quality craftsmanship and the need to be environmentally friendly
The designer is launching her autumn-winter 2018 collection of shoes and handbags in Asia, which includes a partnership with Lane Crawford, that kicks off with an installation at IFC Mall in Hong Kong on June 27
It’s a humid late afternoon in New York, and Gabriela Hearst has just wrapped a day’s designing at her studio in Chelsea.
The waning sunlight casts gentle shadows through an expansive, downtown-facing window in her private office, and the sound of bustling traffic drifts up from the West Side highway nearby. Hearst is a relaxed host. She wears a black leather pencil skirt, over-the-knee boots without tights, and an oversized sweater with Diana, Princess of Wales on it.
Her own diamanté and emerald blue glass earrings are reminiscent of the late royal’s infamous engagement ring, and are the kind of jewels fashion editors refer to as a statement piece. “She was my idol growing up,” Hearst explains gesturing at her top while curling her (impossibly long) legs underneath a plush Eames swivel chair.
Before long, we get to the main reason for our meeting: Hearst’s upcoming partnership with Lane Crawford, which kicks off at IFC Mall in Hong Kong on June 27 and at Times Square in Shanghai on June 30.
The designer is launching her autumn-winter 2018 collection of shoes and handbags for the first time in Asia, and is travelling to oversee each installation in person for two weeks. While there, she is also slated to unveil a new personalisation service (customers will be able to have their initials engraved on any handbag for an additional fee), and an exclusive collection of coin purses which were created specifically for the event.