ECO ROYALTY

“You can create luxury fashion in a way that’s not hurting the environment”. Stella McCartney has reigned as the leader of sustainable fashion practices for almost 20 years, and she’s not stopping now

Stella McCartney has been synonymous with sustainability for almost two decades. From day one she has led by example, championing exceptional alternatives to fabrics and manufacturing processes that cause significant damage to the environment. Her knowledge of the business is as impressive as her collections designed for women who want to feel simultaneously strong yet feminine. Not taking any prisoners, she doesn’t shy away from calling out industry practices she doesn’t agree with and strongly believes that you can create exceptional pieces with minimum damage to the planet. Inspiring, bold and incredibly smart, Stella has and will continue to inspire the next generation of designers.

What new sustainability elements can we look forward to in your S/S20 collection?

Summer 2020 was our most sustainable collection to date with over 75 per cent of the collection being made with sustainable fabrics. Every single season we try and get better and better and better, so this season is a huge achievement for us. A total of 90 per cent of the cotton we used this season was organic, and all the denim in the collection used organic cotton. We showed a lot of reimagined tailoring this season where the majority was made from Japanese recycled polyester, a fabric we have been using since 2012 and requires less than half the energy to produce than Virgin

polyester would. We also used traceable wool in our knitwear pieces as transparency of the supply chain is something very important to us here. As usual there’s no leather or animal glues which have a huge impact on the environment due to animal agriculture farming and cutting down rainforests and water usage. I really think the most important thing now – while this is a hot topic – is capturing the momentum and showing people this is how we can all do it like this. Everyone can work this way. If I can do it, everyone can.

I think the dresses are beautiful, especially the flowing floral numbers and the intricate crochet-like dresses. I also love the tailoring this season which comes in beautiful muted shades of dusty pink and blue, contrasted with the bright pop of yellow tailoring or teamed with a denim split skirt to give it that attitude. There’s a mixture between the masculine and the feminine at my shows and it’s about the tension and not just wearing the clothes but having a lightness of heart. If you are going to buy something then make it something that really makes you feel good and that’s good for the environment.

What are your personal favourites from the collection? Being sustainable is not an easy route for a brand to take. How challenging is it to evolve the collections and still remain an ethical luxury brand?

You know, I’ve been doing this from day one in the brand – it will be 20 years next year. We have worked really hard in order to do what we do successfully and have overcome many challenges along the way. I think one of the things I’m most proud of is being able to show that you can create luxury fashion in a way that’s not hurting the environment, in a way that’s better for the planet, and it’s better for the animals yet not sacrificing anything in the process.

If more brands took your approach, would it become simpler to develop new ways to be more sustainable?

The only way we can push this forward and make it simpler for designers to create sustainable businesses with ease is to work collectively. This means the more brands that demand transparency when sourcing sustainable fabrics, the more available everything will be and therefore reduce the impact our industry has on the planet.

Why do you think so many fashion brands are slow to embrace sustainability?

I look around and see that the conversation is finally here. As one of the most polluting industries in the world, the fashion industry is now at a crossroads where we need to come together and achieve sustainable change to build a better future. I think we are getting there, brands are finally starting to wake up and realise that if they don’t start now, they won’t have a business in five years. That said, doing business in this way isn’t the low-cost route which is something you have to sacrifice, and so for many brands who have to focus on the bottom line it isn’t the easy option. In order to really have a conversation about sustainability, we’re going to have to put in some kind of parameters and laws, and people are going to have to be told they can’t use X, Y and Z. There has to be a starting point for the industry so they are encouraged not punished.

Companies that choose to use sustainable materials like organic cotton, recycled polyester or

What more do you feel should be done?

other verified inputs could and should be incentivised by legislation otherwise it’s easy to choose against it. We need not compromise style for sustainability and we can show that it is possible to build a healthy profitable business with mindfulness and consciousness.

Do you think consumers are becoming more mindful about what they buy?

I really believe that consumers will be the ones to finally make the fashion industry pay attention; the change is going to come from them. More and more people are becoming aware of how they consume in other aspects of their lives, so why shouldn’t fashion come into that conversation too? It’s nice to see more people come to my side, my way of thinking and I am now seeing more people joining me in the luxury sector of fashion and putting more focus on finding new and creative ways to be more sustainable as a business. I hope we will all be more mindful of our consumption and to question the processes.

Stella McCartney SS20

If we could all avoid buying one type of fabric, which do you feel would have the greatest impact?

Viscose (or Rayon) is one of the most used fabrics, and it cuts down around 150 million trees a year. I spent around three-and-a-half years with my own team to source a forest in Sweden where we could get that viscose fiber from the trees where we replant trees, so it’s sustainable sourcing. It’s simple right, it’s a no-brainer. We now only ever use sustainable viscose when we use viscose and if all brands started sourcing viscose in this way it would have a huge impact on our planet.

Following on from faux fur, there is an increased interest in faux leather. Do you feel that’s a conscious step in the right direction?

The production of leather can have up to 20 times the environmental impact as recycled synthetic alternatives. Our animal-free, cruelty-free leather alternatives have up to 24 times lower environmental impact than animal leathers. Our innovative alternatives include materials made using recycled polyester. After nearly 20 years of constant research and innovation, I believe we have created the best non-leather out there.

What innovation have you been most excited about to use in your collections?

Innovation is at the core of what we do here at Stella McCartney. There are many innovations that have been hugely exciting. We stopped using PVC in 2010 which is by far the most toxic of all plastics, and developed an amazing alternative called PU which has a much less negative impact on the planet. I love the regenerated cashmere we make which has around seven times lower impact than virgin cashmere and is made from post factory cashmere waste. For our Autumn 2020 collection we introduced a new fur-free-fur called KOBA® which is made of plant pulp and recycled polyester and uses around 30 per cent less energy and 63 per cent less carbon emissions which is incredible, and we are the first brand to use it.

Do you think the current global situation will slow down the fashion world and encourage conscious buying?

I think we all know that we’re creatures of habit so I don’t know if slowing down will necessarily happen but I would like to think that the fashion industry might stay in this moment for longer than expected. I think if we can all come back and see through the same eyes that we’re seeing through now, it would be an incredible gift.