Stella McCartney brings sustainable message
The Queen of Fashion Sustainability, Stella McCartney, closed the recent fashion week in Milan, Italy, with a garden party to show off her combined men’s and women’s collections.
Models in the “playful Bohemian looks” sipped on cocktails and were the first to take to the dance floor.
One female model twirled prettily in a pale pink fringe mini dress with a racing back, while a male model in a military-style dark three-quarters jacket and trousers with gold striping tucked into a Campari cocktail.
Nearby, McCartney said she has worked hard to make sustainability integral to her collections, and she hopes that more designers — and consumers — get on board.
“The consumer is critical . ... I also am a consumer in how I eat, how I live my life. I think people need to bring it to the fashion conversation. We are the second-most harmful industry I the world. We have to take that seriously,” she said.
“On the one side, I want to create a product where people have no idea that this isn’t a PVC shoe, that this is an organic cotton because it looks so stylish and it has the same quality of manufacture,” she said, pointing to her pumps and jumpsuit. “But at the same time, it is a mindful approach.”
McCartney said a persistent demand for sustainability drove her into menswear several seasons ago — with men asking to have a tailored collection that reflected ethical values.
“I sort of digested that for many, many years, and it never felt like the right time until one day, I said, ‘Hey let’s do that.’”