Gabriela Hearst shows clothes made with Afghan artisans at the Petit Palais
Ikat patchwork, mirror embroidery and pomegranates: Gabriela Hearst dedicated her Spring/Summer 2027 collection to Afghanistan's textile traditions.
Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · Gabriela Hearst · youtube.com
Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst presented her Spring/Summer 2027 collection at Paris Fashion Week on 5 October. The venue was the circular courtyard garden of the Petit Palais, built for the 1900 World's Fair. According to AFP, Hearst is the only Latin American representative on the official Paris calendar. The label has released the show as an official film on YouTube.
The focus was on ikat patchwork jackets and dresses and embroidery set with small mirrors. Through the non-profit Turquoise Mountain, the label found artisans in Afghanistan, and Afghan women helped make some of the pieces, Reuters reported. Elements painted by Afghan artists decorated jewellery and buttons. The finale brought white dresses embroidered with pomegranates, Afghanistan's national fruit.
Hearst, creative director of Chloé from 2020 to 2023, has long urged the industry to stop using nylon and polyester. Her silk trench coats were waxed with a water-based natural resin to mimic water-resistant nylon. "We must never forget that we're here because of the burning of fossil fuels," she told Reuters after the show.