At Eleven Madison Park, Mytheresa Celebrated Gabriela Hearst With an Elegant, Plant-Based Lunch

It’s rare that industry notables are able to give away a couple of hours of their day, in the middle of the day, on the Friday of New York Fashion Week for a lunch. It’s a feat, to say the least, but perhaps an unsurprising one once you read more of the invitation—a Mytheresa-hosted event honoring Gabriela Hearst and Daniel Humm at Eleven Madison Park. The attending guests—which included Charlotte Groeneveld, Derek Blasberg, Gucci Westman, Olivia Palermo, and Athena Calderone—were all more than willing to enjoy a leisurely, unhurried lunch in the name of slow fashion and slow food.

Presiding over it all was Michael Kliger, CEO of Mytheresa, who was fresh in from Munich for the occasion. Guests took their seats in the famed restaurant’s dining room—located on the ground floor of an art deco skyscraper in the Flatiron District—at tables dressed with potted herbs in lieu of flowers. Many of the guests wore Hearst’s designs: Silks swirling with naturalistic hues reminiscent of marble or knitted day dresses with edgy cuts. Midway through the meal, which was, of course, vegan and began with a non-alcoholic celery juice aperitif, Kliger welcomed his guests.

“This is a perfect pairing,” he said of Hearst and Humm. The two are great friends and, as it was revealed to all in attendance, are really quite close. “Ever since you launched your brand, it’s all about the materials,” Kliger remarked to Hearst, “Sustainability is not a choice. It’s a necessity.” Turning to Humm, “And I think that matches many of your convictions; it’s about ingredients and quality. You’ve been [at Eleven Madison Park] since 2006, but in 2021, you changed to plant-based and more so believe in its importance.”

Hearst, who wore a geometric patchworked ensemble of her own design, echoed Kliger. “What we have in common is that Daniel has a true love of beauty and quality and things that are well-made.” Hearst went on to describe Humm’s decision to go plant-based at the unlikeliest of times—smack dab in the middle of the pandemic when the future of his storied restaurant was hanging in the balance. “I’m like, you’re talking to bankruptcy lawyers, and you’re famous for your duck? But he said no, this is the way, this is where my creativity is guiding me.”

It’s a mindfulness-first approach that Hearst has also imbued not only into her eponymous label but over at Chloé, where she is the creative director. Across both collections, Hearst has employed deadstock fabrics, reduced plastic waste in packaging, embraced recyclable materials and sought out artisans in various points of the globe to help her hand-craft her designs.

Before his delicious vegan desserts were served, Humm helped close out the remarks, “Gabby is taking over the world, and she’s doing it in a new way, with a higher purpose but also with a message.”

Guests left with a taste of Eleven Madison Park’s Home box; proceeds of which help to provide meals to those experiencing food insecurity in New York City, in partnership with Rethink Food.