What we're not hearing in the Met Gala news
What If We Get It Right? Fashion, fabrics, and fusion ⚡️, with Gabriela Hearst by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Hey there Earthlings. 💛 We’re talking sustainability and fashion, again. It’s a major industry impacting the environment and shaping the cultural context within which we make climate decisions... and I may be overcompensating for having not given fashion a chapter in the What If We Get It Right? book.
A few weeks ago, I shared here a conversation on Sustainable Fashion and the Art of Care with supermodel/artist Cameron Russell. And what better time to continue this discussion than in the wake of the 2025 Met Gala. Our guest this week is phenom Gabriela Hearst, a super-eco designer.
Gabriela Hearst (center) at the 2025 Met Gala, flanked by Questlove (left) and Chris Rock (right) wearing the custom suits she created to honor the theme Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
I spoke with Gabi in her Manhattan studio, at a table she’s had for decades, on chairs she’d upcycled. We discussed her commitment to sustainability across her entire supply chain, how she turned iconic French fashion house Chloe into a B-corp while she was creative director there, how growing up on a ranch in Uruguay informed her worldview and approach to climate work, and her complete obsession with fusion power.
First Photo: With Gabriela in her studio, post-interview
Second Photo: Pioneer Works in 2024, speaking with Colette Pichon Battle (left) & Jade Begay (center), wearing a GH suit.
Gabi has dressed everyone from Beyoncé and Dr. Jill Biden, to Julia Louis Dreyfus, Angela Bassett, Cate Blanchett, John Legend... the list goes on. And, after we’d bonded about our respect for ecosystems and the challenges/victories of creating a responsible clothing business, she offered to dress me for my book tour. 🫨 Very fun to raid her closet and borrow some things.
GABI’S CALLS TO ACTION
- Be kind. Reach for the balance of heart and mind.
- Meditate — just close your eyes and breathe.
- Buy less. Buy high quality items that will last.
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