September 11, 2019 |
Often when designers boast about wishing to follow a more sustainable design output, their focal point reverts back to how the clothes were made. But Gabriela Hearst isn’t stopping there. Her yesterday’s outing for SS20 was the industry’s first carbon neutral show. Each intricate detailing behind the production was examined in minute detail in a bid to minimise the carbon footprint as much as possible – stretching from catering, transportation and even down to using no electricity during the hair and make-up stage. And yet in no way was the effortless femininity of Heart’s vision tampered with.
The beautifully casted show saw weighty silk blouses and leather bustier dresses perforated with crochet panelling. Ivory white suits, either nipped in at the waist or left untapered in a boxy finish with fringe trimmings felt harmoniously poetic as they did confident. These clothes don’t boast an intense libido. Instead, they’re lavish in a sense of courage inspired by a plethora of fearless women throughout history. Josephine Baker, Zeus’ daughter Athena, and female Kurdish fighters included. There were linen gowns crocheted with Geodes at the neckline as well as box weave hemp frocks and tailored, leather-trimmed trousers worn with crochet monkey boots. Hearst is using her immense design skills to carve out a femininity that can empower women on an international scale.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
