High-Profile Duo Opens a New Ethical Fashion Shop in The Galleria

What a rollicking good time was had when Maison de Mode founders Amanda Hearst and Hassan Pierre entertained a handful of fashionistas at the newly-opened Fig & Olive restaurant just hours after launching their pop-up shop in The Galleria (on the second floor, one storefront down from Saks Fifth avenue).

The pop-up boutique offers a colorful array of high-end fashions that are not only must-haves for dedicated fashion mavens but also are curated based on their ethical manufacturing. While sipping champagne, ladies perused the dresses, tees and scarves from labels including Prabal Gurung, Amour Vert, Khokho and EDUN.

They swooned over the playful handbags from Sarah’s Bag and Mar Y Sol and natural straw hats from Yestadt Millinery. And they were awed by the sustainable and ethical requirements needed to be included in the trés chic treasure trove.

The Galleria shopping opp ends May 15. But there are possibilities 24/7 at the retailer’s website. The concept, explained Pierre, is to combine the brick and mortar experience with an ethically-conscious luxury website. The duo launched their first pop-pup in December of 2012 offering what they refer to as a unique shopping experience for the “pure luxury” consumer.

Words and phrases such as recycled, organic, cruelty free, artisanal and fair trade waft through their conversations about their product lines. From that first pop-up shop they found that interest quickly grew for ethical/sustainable fashion prompting Hearst and Pierre to launch the website.

Pierre studied at Parsons School of Design and Hearst had long been involved in ethical fashion issues when they met up and started a business plan together. As the great-granddaughter if media mogul William Randolph Hearst, the young woman has had her hand in fashion media as well, having worked as an associate fashion editor at Marie Claire. They met in the showroom for his line of ethical clothing, The Way It Should Be. From there a partnership was born.

Following the store opening, the New Yorkers were entertained over dinner by several of Houston’s most fetching fashion connoisseurs. After all, who can beat Becca Cason Thrash and Duyen Nguyen as lively dinner partners or the elegant Blakely Griggs or the divinely fashion-forward Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl?