A far cry from the huddled, indoor seating of many Paris Fashion Week shows and so far, Chloe’s open-air venue – on the river’s edge – gave virus-conscious fashion editors a breath of fresh air. But the show’s message mostly advertised positivity and that being good to the environment can also be chic.
Creative Director, Gabriela Hearst was not only expected to carry on the brand’s remarkable legacy as the embodiment of feminine French cool, but to also showcase the extent to which a modern luxury fashion house can embrace eco-friendly business practices. For Spring 2022, a collection she presented before Notre Dame cathedral and along the Seine River in sunny Paris, almost 60% of the collection was made from low impact materials. “As cheesy as it sounds, this collection is about love,” Hearst said in a preview. “It’s really about the love of so many things: the love of craft, the love of friendship, the love of fellow humans. I literally have to memorize how many different NGOs, because I am working with so many this season.”
Patchwork jackets and leather dresses were crafted using upcycled samples from previous Chloè collections; cream linen suiting and day dresses were elevated with metallic detailing made from deadstock jewelry; the oversized, floor-skimming poncho dress was hand-painted with blue vegetable dye; vest dresses were hand-crocheted; and handbags were made by knitting deadstock fabric into braids. The whole collection was astonishing, only 31 looks, and genuinely size diverse in a way few collections have been this season, fulfilled its promise of acting like the proverbial north star for luxury houses on the topic of ethically-produced fashion. Per Grazia. Anyone who is environmentally concerned would approve of the industry following Hearst’s paths.The entire show was an eye-opener for a lot of showgoers, from the outdoor set-up, to the eco-friendly materials and textiles which was used to embody modern chic style. Altogether, Hearst’s line of intricate and elegant handiwork was definitely deemed something new and fresh by many, referring to it as an “Ode to Paris”. Some images of the Spring ’22 collection below.
