The Designer Interview: Gabriela Hearst

“I am a big believer in signs. If you pay attention, they are there for everyone,” designer Gabriela Hearst tells PORTER from her home in New York. It’s this ability to look beyond what’s tangible that has shaped Hearst’s distinctive approach to design, as well as the creative connections she he has made along the way.

Growing up on her family’s 17,000-acre ranch in Paysandú, Uruguay, Hearst had little relation to the fashion industry. “My background was full of ranchers, and the conversation was about cattle, sheep and dogs,” she says. And yet, her interest in making clothes began at an early age. “My mother would look at me drawing all day long when I was young and say, ‘Who is this kid? Where did she come from?’” Hearst was just 15 when she began painting and designing dresses for her friends. “I would paint on everything, all day long,” she remembers fondly.

After graduating from the O.R.T. University of Uruguay, Hearst moved to New York, where she continued to nurture her creative passions. In 2004, she launched her first label, Candela, with a collection of silk-screened T-shirts, eventually expanding into ready-to-wear, accessories and an online boutique. But after 10 years at the helm, and having taken over the running of her family’s ranch, Hearst felt a strong desire to reconnect with her roots. It was then that her eponymous label was born. Inspired by her family heritage and a slower pace of life, the brand celebrates true artisanship and is driven by longevity over trends. It’s loved by some of the most stylish and sophisticated women worldwide, from actors Angelina Jolie, Laura Dern and Jodie Comer to celebrated filmmaker Chloé Zhao.

“Everything has to have a timeless element because of the high-quality materials that we’re using, so it makes sense from an investment point of view,” Hearst explains. “If you’re buying a cashmere coat, it should be for the rest of your life. And if you’re only going to buy one cashmere coat for the rest of your life, I hope it’s ours.”

Hearst’s uncompromising commitment to what she calls “honest luxury” is an achievement made all the more impressive when you consider the constraints of building a responsible brand, but she relishes the challenge. “I’m always going to choose sustainability over the more beautiful, more beguiling option,” she insists, regardless of the limitations this may bring. “Creativity is endless and if your standards and the purpose of what you’re doing are clear to you, you can always find a solution. Always. You just have to think about it.”

It is a philosophy that runs through every one of her collections, including her latest exclusive capsule for NET-A-PORTER. Named after her hometown, Paysandú, the collection features space-dyed knitwear handmade by female artisans at Manos del Uruguay, a non-profit organization that Hearst has worked with for more than 20 years. “We have videos of how fast they knit; it’s incredible,” she says. “They’re amazing craftswomen.” The collection also pays homage to traditional garments worn by members of her own family. The ‘Lauren’ wrap, for example, takes its inspiration from the ponchos worn by her father. “It’s one of my favorite pieces,” she says, noting that it doubles as a throw, too. “I use a lot of our wraps and blankets as outerwear. I think it's the coolest.”

As for the colors of the collection? They’re taken directly from the sky. “I travel a lot, and I took this picture [from my seat window] on a flight about eight months ago,” she says, holding up a photo on her phone of the sun setting above the clouds, the screen ablaze with streaks of orange, yellow and blue.

Alongside the natural world and her own heritage, Hearst’s collections frequently shine a spotlight on trailblazing women throughout history. Her fall/winter 2026 collection was inspired by Eglantyne Jebb, founder of the charity Save the Children, while spring/summer 2027 honors the women of Afghanistan. Her next two collections, meanwhile, tell the story of María Josefa Pimentel, Duchess of Osuna – a contemporary of Marie Antoinette renowned for her intellect and patronage of the arts in Spain.