As brands are trying to keep up with the rapid pace of the fashion industry, they have to look towards sustainability in their designs and products to protect the environment. Let us take a look at Stella McCartney, a familiar face.
Stella McCartney graduated from Central St Martins in 1995, becoming almost instantly famous for her womenswear work. In 2001, she established her fashion house and debuted her first collection in Paris on October the same year.
Stella never used leather, feathers, skin or fur in any of her designs. She stood loyal to her values as a lifelong vegetarian. The brand has sustainable practices such as getting rid of products made of leather, fur or PVC in product mix-ups and only selecting textile suppliers who produce responsibly and are in line with the brand’s vision and goals
As for her labor ethics, she is part of the Ethical Trading Initiative, but there is currently nothing that can be found on it. It cannot be confirmed that everything is well.
As for human rights, it is unclear at this point. There has been an instance in which Stella furlough approximately 700 employees from her 51 global stores at the expense of UK taxpayers without topping up her staff’s wages. The scheme was a support mechanism for cash-strapped businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. Her business was estimated to be about 60 million then. At that point it seemed like animal rights are placed higher than human rights on Stella’s agenda, but there are no further reports on this. And there are no cases on this matters like this at this point of time.
One of her most sustainable collections yet was her Spring 2020 collection, with over 75% of the materials used marked as eco-friendly. Before, back in March, her AW19 collection was a hot topic during PFW. She was trying to spread the message about the ancient and endangered Leuser ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia. Here are some of my personal favorites from both the Spring 2020 and A/W 2019 collection.
Some materials used in the spring 2020 were organic cotton, recycled polyester, Econyl and hemp from her sources. The remaining 25 per cent of fabrics were mostly organic cotton or upcycled denim. Materials used in the Autumn Winter 2019 collection featured upcycled materials such as second hand T-shirts. She communicates her products through abstract images and manifestos on social media, and unorthodox methods during her shows such as giving vacumm-packed leaves with her invitations.
I certainly admire the pattern cutouts and her creative usage of the upcycled materials to create new textures for the looks. It is special and i wish to emulate it in the future.
In conclusion, nobody is perfect. Stella McCartney will still be dominant in the fashion industry. With her passion for social sustainability, her brand will be one new establishments will try to emulate. She was able to stay loyal to her values since day 1 when “sustainability” was a taboo, it is certainly admirable.