Gabriela Hearst Has a Brand New It Bag—and It'll Make Your Grandma Proud
Gabriela Hearst's "Nina" bag did what all designers hope for when designing accessories: garnering a dedicated fan base who wanted it in multiple colors, it drew waitlists that continue to grow to this day. Not one to rest on her laurels, Hearst is back with a brand new bag, the Patsy. A lunch-box inspired shape, it shares the super luxe vibe of the Nina in a more structured silhouette.
The New York-based Hearst is consistently thoughtful in her designs, researching ethical and sustainable fabrications and practices, and her inspiration for the Patsy is no different. Inspired by working women in the 1940s, the Patsy is more than a pretty bag, it has a feminist heart. "The research process for every collection is one of my favorite parts," the designer explains, "My motto is to understand our history to know where we came from and where we are going." What she discovered is basically a fist pump from our collective Grandmas.
"I was inspired by the lunch boxes of women entering the work force during the 1940s," she says. "In WWII, from 1940 to 1945, the female work force in the U.S. increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent. In 1945, nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home. Women carrying their lunch boxes during this time became a patriotic and important symbol for women and stressed the the need for them in the work force at a crucial time, and they did exactly that in huge numbers. It’s a reminder of what our gender has accomplished but also how much more is left to do in order to achieve equality for all."
Hearst is launching the Patsy exclusively with Net-a-Porter today, and that story isn't as simple as it seems either. "For our bags, it takes an average of nine to 10 months from original conception to sample," Hearst tells BAZAAR.com. "We work on them for a long time and the production can take a minimum of three months, hence our waitlists."
It was important for Hearst to launch the brand's authentication cards with embedded blockchain technology "that is synonymous with luxury and that has a global reach," she notes. "The bags will only be available for two weeks, so that we can open the window for more customers to experience an authentic Gabriela Hearst handbag."
The Gabriela Hearst "Patsy" bag is available on Monday, Oct 1 for two weeks on net-a-porter.com. SHOP NOW
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