MOTHER NATURE'S DAUGHTER

Born with a name that’s already legendary, Stella McCartney’s brave fashion choices define a legacy of her own.

BY RADHINA ALMEIDA COUTINHO

For decades, the name McCartney has been synonymous with one person.

So it must be strange for his daughter to realise there’s a whole generation today who know Sir Paul McCartney not as one of the legendary Beatles, but as the father of Stella McCartney.

The original poster child of sustainable fashion, Stella McCartney stepped out of her famous parents’ shadow many years ago, but not before taking a leaf out of their activist book. Stella took what could have been a commercially punishing stand and refused to work with leather, fur, glue and other animal products right from the very start, before fashion labels began wearing their new-found social consciences on their sleeves. Many deemed it career suicide in an industry where skin has always been in.

Stella vocally maintains leather is one of the “worst offenders” in terms of carbon emissions and environmentally degrading agricultural practices – this is apart from the obvious aspect of animal cruelty. It’s a stance that has led her to constantly look for fashion-forward alternatives. Fake fur made from corn, silk made from yeast and leather made from mushroom roots are some of the truly revolutionary materials that have found favour within McCartney’s supply chain.

The fashion industry’s sins are many and mounting. Fast fashion is believed to be the second most polluting industry in the world – contaminating water, causing living creatures to injest microplastics and carcinogens, and filling landfills with mountains of non-biodegradable waste. Taking on the task of changing an industry could be seen as daunting or even defeatist. But McCartney remains practical not preachy, admitting her company is not perfect. She is striving instead to set an example that she hopes other fashion brands will follow.

For years she has focused not just on reducing the environmental impact of her business, but on operating it in a way that actively drives positive change. Stella employs a sustainability and innovations team that works hard to embrace regenerative agricultural practices and fight carbon emissions from within the entire supply chain.

She is also leading the conversation within luxury circles on looking at the full lifecycle of a fashion product. She regularly talks about the value of vintage, upcycled and recycled materials – considered anathema for a long time within luxury fashion. 

Her motto? People should purchase luxury items as investment pieces rather than trendy acquisitions meant to be used just for a season. 

“I would really love is for Stella McCartney to be a zero-impact brand, which we are working towards. I want to lead by example, and in order for that to happen, the core of it is design and how we communicate what we do and our message to the rest of the world.”