Chloé’s Gabriela Hearst has two earth-friendly collaborations in play this summer. In this post, AOC focuses on the Chloé x Eres Summer 2023 Collection. The second capsule is Chloe x Teva sandals, and we will followup with that post. Both collaborations are out now.

These images were shot by Leigh Johnson [IG] at Tenerife, Canary Islands. Models include Athena Wilson, Giedre Dukaiskaite and Mercy [Pophouse].

Chloé x Eres Summer 2023 Collection

Creative Director Gabriela Hearst sought to create swimwear with the highest savoir-faire and instinctively chose to collaborate with Eres and the brand’s Creative Director Marie-Paule Minchelli.

Part of the Chanel group since 1996, Eres was founded in 1968 by Irène Leroux, who sought to liberate the swimsuit from the constraints of padding and boning. Leroux approached the garment as a second skin based on the wearer’s body architecture and turned the design process upside down and inside out.

In 1967 Summer of Love festivals in America — the good, the bad, and the ugly — got attention worldwide as media finally caught up with the movement. The second wave of feminism was in high gear, and cutting-edge fashion brands sought to liberate women from designs that confined them.

Swimwear was a high priority and Irene Leroux’s design approach was in perfect pitch. Psychologically, she shifted the designer/consumer relationship from him [usually] dictating what a woman’s body should look like as an idealized form for his creations to a revolutionary alternative reality of her own body causing the swimsuit to adapt and embrace her unique physical structure.

This battle continues 50 years later but much progress has been made. The human psychology behind the Eres brand is fundamental to Gabriela Hearst’s feminist mindset. And so is sustainability. Hearst is obsessed with nuclear fusion these days — Gabriela Hearst Talks Nuclear Fusion and Puma Women with WSJ Magazine February 2023 — but she’ll hug any forward-motion towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

Sustainability of Chloé x Eres Summer 2023 Collection

When my new IA assistant Lulu spit out “Crafted with innovative second skin material Peau Douce from castor oil-based polyamide, Peau Douce boasts elasticity, resistance, shape retention and comfort characteristics for maximum summer fun,” my reaction was a big wow!

Note that I prompted Lulu to address the sustainability of Peau Douce, because I was skeptical.

Knowing Hearst as I do, it was not possible in my own mind that the Eres fabric was not at least largely-sustainable in order for Hearst to align Chloe with the brand. Remember, Chloe became a B-class corporation in 2021, and B Corp is one of the most demanding certifications that evaluates brands' social and environmental impact.

However, my own manual Google search came up initially empty on Peau Douce sustainability, prompting me to send Lulu into cyberspace to hunt down the Peau Douce facts.

AOC readers are helping the cause because by my investing time in writing about castor oil fabrics, it’s a kick in the butt to Google search. Castor oil, which is obtained from a plant that is not used as human or animal food, was first marketed in 2009 as an alternative to petroleum-based fabrics.

After completing this checklist, AOC is comfortable writing that Chloe and Eres are offering a more earth-loving summer offering of beachwear and accessories from both brands.

From embroidered linen skirts and dresses, bucket hats, sunglasses and slip-on sandals made of linen on recycled rubber soles, Hearst’s commitment to using sustainable fabrics and supporting artisans can be seen throughout her collection.

Chloe x Eres' summer palette features earthy tones inspired by Mediterranean coastline. The collection also offers eco-friendly pieces like the 'Patricia' blouse and 'Paloma' skirt crafted from eco-friendly linen fabric with embroidery from certified tanneries by Leather Working Group 1.

Shoes and bags also use certified leather from tanneries while accessories like the ‘Paz basket bag,’ Paula sunglasses frames, and Piia hat are woven using recycled organic cotton canvas woven as the base fabric.