The Optimism Diaries

What Gives Me Optimism: Fashion Designer Gabriela Hearst

These small joy triggers inspire her to stay unapologetically optimistic.
Gabriela Hearst

Gabriela Hearst

1 Min Read

As part of an ongoing series, Thrive is asking some of the most interesting people we know to tell us what’s been making them hopeful lately. Here’s what luxury ready-to-wear and accessories designer Gabriela Hearst told us:

A few things that make me optimistic:

A new notebook (or sketchbook) and a new season. 

Curiosity.

Learning and understanding. Opening the shades of knowledge so then I can process and communicate. I guess what brings me optimism is discovery and research. 

The optimism that is brought by the immaterial by the experience that stays. 

Can chocolate also bring me optimism? Because it does…

Can kisses from those I love bring me optimism? Because they do…

Can morning sunlight bring me optimism? Because the feeling of daily rebirth certainly does…

Optimism is countless for me as I am a blessed optimist.

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Author(s)

  • Gabriela Hearst

    Born in Uruguay, Gabriela Hearst grew up on her family’s ranch surrounded by horses, cattle and sheep. Gabriela attended the British School in Montevideo and studied Communications at the O.R.T. University of Uruguay. After more than a decade spent in design in New York, Gabriela honored her family’s heritage through the launch of her eponymous label in Fall 2015, as well as taking over the operations of her father’s ranch in Uruguay. Gabriela wanted to create a brand that reflects a slower pace and process: where things are made with care and detail, where tradition is more important than trend, where there is a purpose to every piece.

    Gabriela’s commitment is to make a strong and modern collection without compromising her ethics and key values, taking into consideration where materials come from and who is making them: luxury with a conscience or in other words, “honest luxury”. Each garment is an item into which Gabriela can pour her desire — made with impeccable construction and uncompromising, noble materials. Together, they tell a story of the places she loves that made her who she is: Uruguay and New York.

    Combining the utilitarian and the beautiful, she wanted to design long-lasting garments that hold memories for the woman who wears them. She is a real woman, alluring and powerful, but there is much action in her life and these clothes are her uniform, her armor. She launched in 2016 her Nina Bag which started as a limited edition series bag and now has an extensive waiting list. Gabriela is the winner of the 2016/17 International Woolmark Prize for Womenswear and the 2018 recipient of the Pratt Institute Fashion Visionary Award. She was nominated in 2017 for the CFDA Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent and in March 2018 received a nomination for the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year. Gabriela currently serves on the board of Save The Children.