At DVF’s iconic New York flagship, three visionary designers gathered for Earth Day to share how they’re rewriting the rules of sustainability in fashion.
By Cultural Affairs Editorial Staff
On Earth Day 2025, the storied Diane von Furstenberg flagship in New York’s Meatpacking District became a nexus of innovation, talent, and purpose. Three of fashion’s most promising trailblazers—all Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, all women, all redefining what it means to create consciously—came together for an intimate panel that felt more like a movement in the making.
The discussion featured Kate Barton, Olivia Cheng of Dauphinette, and Caroline Zimbalist—each offering a distinct, deeply personal vision for how sustainability can coexist with high design. Moderated by veteran milliner Gigi Burris O’Hara, the evening unfolded as both conversation and quiet revolution.
Barton, known for her sculptural, fabric-first approach, has pioneered patented draping and fusing techniques that position her as a technical innovator. Her commitment to local production not only reduces environmental impact, but also safeguards endangered craftsmanship. Barton remarked:
Having a community of people to ask for help is really important. The CFDA was really helpful for me in finding the right production partners. Developing locally keeps the craft intact.
For Cheng, founder of Dauphinette, sustainability is inseparable from storytelling. Her signature resin-dipped florals—preserved without toxins—have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including in the acclaimed In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. Starting with just $2,000 and a collection of upcycled vintage coats, Cheng’s journey mirrors fashion’s power to transform scarcity into beauty. Cheng reflected:
I'll take flowers from anywhere. My mom used to dry the flowers and send them to me in my old maths notebooks.
Zimbalist, once celebrated in the art world, now pushes material boundaries through fashion—crafting garments and jewelry from bio-plastics of her own design. Her upcoming bio-plastic jewelry line, set to debut at DVF Studios later this month, fuses sustainable chemistry with the avant-garde—proof that innovation doesn’t have to compromise elegance. Zimbalist remarked:
I didn't want to buy the same fabrics as other students were buying off the bolts at Mood. I wanted to create my own materials.
The event—part of DVF’s #InCharge movement celebrating women’s leadership—drew an illustrious crowd, including designer Jonathan Cohen, model Alva Chinn, and DVF CEO Graziano de Boni. Their presence underscored the fashion industry’s growing commitment to environmental reinvention.
Beyond the curated crowd and organic cocktails, the evening carried a deeper resonance. This wasn’t just a conversation about the future of fashion, it was grounded in the reality that sustainability has shifted from niche ambition to industry imperative.
Challenges persist: scaling ethical production, widening accessibility, and rewriting entrenched systems. However, these designers aren’t waiting for the industry to catch up; they’re prototyping the next era in real time.
As conversations lingered into the evening, the implications were clear: these designers are creating something that transcends sustainability alone—a vision that's as much about innovation as it is about responsibility.
