As a life-long vegetarian, Stella McCartney dreamed of opening a luxury fashion house that was eco-friendly and cruelty-free. Dedicated to running a responsible and sustainable business, they employ circular business practices such as using materials that are recycled and reworked, 100% organic, as well as sourcing viscose fabric.
The British designer was among the first in the industry to refuse animal fur and last year teamed up with the UN to care for the planet. Most of the pieces in this series were constructed under a circle, as a symbol of femininity and the Earth. This foundation was very present in silhouettes that catch flower gardens and constructed in organic shapes with light and natural materials such as silk and cotton.
The brand has a long history of commitment to the planet, starting in 2008 with the use of organic cotton, and culminating with its Spring-Summer 2020 collection in which it uses recycled polyester and cashmere, sustainable raffia and viscose, and traceable wool. On its website, it offers information about all the steps in the supply chain and the environmental footprint of all the products it sells.
Stella is a designer of reference for sustainable fashion, and Joaquin Phoenix, Oscar for Best Actor, wanted to take Stella's cause to the top by wearing a vintage McCartney dinner jacket to collect his statuette for The Joker. In 2020 she launched a capsule collection, We AreThe Weather, a full-blown SOS to fight climate change.
Stella McCartney products are GOTS and Cradle to Cradle Certified. They offer collections for casual wear, evening wear, lingerie, activewear as well as kidswear. After working closely with Cradle to Cradle to pursue Gold-Level certification for its key knitwear suppliers, Stella McCartney was one of the first major brands to achieve it.
“Animals Are our Equals”
"Animals are our equals" is the message that Stella McCartney wanted to convey with the photoshoot for her 'Autumn' (pre-fall) 2021 collection. The photographers were in charge of dressing the models in the garments from the collection, and they added toy animals to their heads as they strolled through the streets of London, portraying them as returning to their wild state.
It was a way of highlighting the fact that the brand has been fur-free for 20 years. To put the impact of this commitment into context, if the more than one million vegan Falabella bags they have sold since launching this model on the market (in the autumn-winter 2009 season) had been made from fur, they would have needed the fur of 400,000 cows.
Using Mushrooms as a Leather Alternative
Fungal leather was created by San-Francisco-based biotech company MycoWorks, which found an unusual source to invent a product that performs like real leather - fungus. The material is made from a mix of wood fibers and mycelium, the part of the mushroom that grows beneath the soil.
Fungal leather is grown through a circular process via a low energy conversion rate with minimal water use. The material is biodegradable and can be grown in nearly any size or texture. Known as Mycelium, Fungal leather grows into the required shape in just two weeks, making it a fraction of the cost, time, and environmental impact of conventional leather.
The fungal material is treated with mild acids, alcohols, and dyes before it’s dried and embossed. The final product feels and looks like real leather and is used for purses, bags, and shoes. Stella McCartney has been responsible for developing and perfecting Mylo, another alternative to leather developed by biotech company Bolt Threads which is also a fungal by-product. Known as Microsilk, it is biodegradable and 100 percent vegan and is produced with mycelium.