Gabi, meet Gaby.

Gabriela Hearst is the new Creative Director of Chloé, a major move for the New York-based CFDA member known for her namesake luxury brand of ultra-luxurious clothes and a pioneering business ethos centered on sustainability. Hearst will show her first collection for Chloé next March.

The 2020 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award recipient joins an impressive group of designers who have defined the aesthetic of the Paris fashion house founded by the late Gaby Aghion, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, Clare Waight Keller, and, most recently, Natasha Ramsay-Levi.

A native of Uruguay who is based in New York, Hearst grew up on her family’s ranch, and her family heritage laid the foundation for her namesake brand, which she launched in New York in 2015.

According to Hearst, her aim was to create a brand that “reflects a slower pace and process” and takes “into consideration where materials come from and who is making them: luxury with a conscience or in other words, honest luxury.”

She is expected to bring this ethos to Paris, which could transform Chloé into a leading sustainable fashion brand.

The appointment is significant in more ways than one.

In recent years, much has been said about the state of American fashion in comparison to a heyday in the mid-1990. At the time, European houses looked to American talent: Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors at Celine, Narciso Rodriguez at Cerruti and Loewe. Chanel made a financial investment in Isaac Mizrahi, and Tom Ford famously transformed Gucci into a luxury powerhouse. And the common consensus among some media was that these days were long counted.

Not so fast. Today, several American or U.S.-based designers are once again at helm of European houses. In addition to Hearst at Chloé, CFDA members Virgil Abloh and Paul Andrew design for Louis Vuitton men’s and Ferragamo, respectively. Kering is invested in Altuzarra. Matthew Williams, who is originally from Illinois, is the Creative Director at Givenchy and Texan Daniel Roseberry is Artistic Director at Maison Schiaparelli. In these roles, Williams and Roseberry both design couture as well.

Consider it a sign of confidence in American talent – and we love it!