“Eglantyne Jebb was an Edwardian powerhouse, striding into action to protect, support and empower children at risk of harm, whoever they were and wherever they lived. Her radical approach required passion, compassion, creativity, and determination. People were not ungenerous, she believed, but unimaginative and very busy. To fight effectively for children, we have to ‘touch the imagination of the world.’ She went on not only to found Save the Children, but to write the pioneering statement of children’s rights that has evolved into the most universally accepted human rights instrument in history. Sadly, children around the world still face conflict, exploitation, famine, and disease, meaning Jebb's mission remains as urgent as ever.”
— Clare Mulley, author, “The Woman Who Saved the Children”
The Gabriela Hearst Autumn Winter 2026 collection pays homage to Eglantyne Jebb, an intrepid humanitarian whose work has touched more than one billion children in over one hundred countries since she founded Save the Children in 1919.
Devoted to social welfare but not to social norms, Eglantyne’s daring spirit animated both her advocacy and her personal life—from her love affair with Margaret Keynes to her Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Eglantyne lived with passion, but her work was carefully planned, deliberately researched. Her rigor is honored through the materials and techniques of this collection, which bring depth, expertise, and humanity to every detail and garment.
Eglantyne was known to friends as the “white flame,” a nickname earned for her intensity, embodied when her striking red hair turned prematurely white at a young age. That allegory runs through the collection in ivory floor-length dresses and separates crafted in proprietary cashmere lace—a technique first developed by the House.
Lace is interpreted elsewhere through knitted pointelle, cashmere macrame, and hand crochet by Madres y Artesanas, a collective in La Paz, Bolivia, created to employ and empower women artisans. The season’s microfloral lace motif climbs black deadstock organza in a centerpiece gown with handkerchief hem and accompanying cape, in pleated midi skirts, princess tops, and blouses. The collection is also a study in texture and contrast: vintage recycled mink is repurposed for a defiantly airy evening dress; Japanese silk bouclé in ivory and olive separates is at once feathery and flame-like.
Herringbone patterns interpret classical tweed, handwoven in half Scottish wool and half Italian cashmere. The traditional speckles pick up the season's palette, while the herringbone repeats not only in knits but in prints on silk georgette blouses, suede flats and heels, and repurposed leather handbags. Each visual is meticulously matched in size and color to the V-shapes of the weave, creating a layerable mise-en-abyme of twill.
Signature corduroy woven entirely from cashmere softens and brings tactility to traditional tailoring. Oversized blazers and matching wide-leg trousers create tonal ensembles, pairing with funnel-neck sweaters in silk corduroy yarns and rib-knit turtlenecks in cashmere and silk. Monochrome styling turns each garment layer into a tribute to its material. Studious repetition of patterns and colors emphasizes technical excellence with almost obsessive precision.
Structured military pants are cut from Japanese recycled denim and cross-dyed wools. The same fabric lends dimension and subtle sheen to oversized trench coats —a garment invented in Eglantyne’s era, developed for use by British army officers. Removable fur collars repurposed from vintage pieces add contrast and body, secured by the House’s signature link chains, plated here in rose gold.
In the trenches of her own work, Eglantyne opted for a subdued palette of exclusively black and brown, colorways picked up in delicate cashmere lace dresses, cashmere corduroy suiting, leather blazers and bombers. But in her youth, she liked to wear blue: a hue that appears here in button-up men’s shirts, leather boots, a recycled fur collar, and a ruffled spiral dress in light blue suede.
Knitwear is developed through engineered structures combining merino, silk, and cashmere yarns. Outerwear expands through cocoon coats cut from dense double-face recycled cashmere felt, the rounded silhouette emphasizing the fabric's architectural quality while remaining soft against the body. South African shearling anchors the collection, appearing in autonomous jacket liners cut with raw edges, revealing the fiber's softness and density. Signature Ohio sneakers appear for the first time in shearling in mocha, champagne, and black.
Natural vachetta meets velvet shearling in protective coats and jackets, and combines with cashmere in an earthy overshirt. Calf-length skirts embrace the irregularities of the leather, allowing the grain of the material to guide the silhouette. Garments are designed to evolve organically with the wearer.
One-of-a-kind handbags and hand-painted leather cowboy boots by artist Almudena Cañedo tell Eglantyne's life story. Twenty-four unique pairs narrate a childhood in Shropshire of countryside horseback rides and imaginative play, an adolescence of loneliness and transformation, a life of ideas and debate at university. The boots translate her experience into the collection's palette: light blue, golden birch, camel, bordeaux, and black in youth; olive, ivory, chocolate, and plum in maturity.
In Haute Jewelry, a 18K rose gold locket, hand-hammered to evoke the texture of a gold nugget in nature, hangs from a leather cord. The locket opens to reveal an oval yellow sapphire, contrasting the prong-set gemstone’s sun-like tone with the blush of the rose, refinement with raw materiality.
As Eglantyne expanded her cause, she traveled to Rome to meet with the Pope, successfully recruiting his support. At the Vatican, she wore a mantilla, a fringed liturgical veil. This traditional headcovering is referenced in the collection’s centerpiece coat: pure silk fringe hand-knotted in India applied to double-face Italian cashmere. The mantilla reappears accenting winter accessories and fringed gowns in black and bordeaux.
Inspired by Eglantyne Jebb’s conviction, the Gabriela Hearst Autumn Winter 2026 collection is about commitment—to human touch, innovation, and strength. Throughout, borders are crossed and limits are explored, while celebrating each material’s authenticity. Traditionally feminine and masculine forms are combined and remixed; menswear accompanies women’s on the runway and pairs naturally in the world.
This season’s presentation in Paris concludes with a choral work performed by the children of The Langley Schools Music Project, an initiative led by teacher Hans Fenger that used simple equipment and popular songs to bring music education to rural schools, empowering young people through access.
“We have to devise means of making known the facts in such a way as to touch the imagination of the world.”
— Eglantyne Jebb (1876-1928)