Stella McCartney Rides The Carousel at Bloomingdale’s
Bloomingdale’s is having a “Stellabration.”
That’s the theme of a wide selection from Stella McCartney now housed in The Carousel @ Bloomingdale’s, a 1,600-square-foot pop-up format and among the more theatrical elements at the Manhattan department store. Every couple of months, The Carousel presents a different merchandising concept, like wellness, food or holiday gifts, organized by guest tastemakers working with the Bloomingdale’s team, and often displaying products never before sold at the store.
“Stellabration is the first time we have a designer takeover of the Carousel,” said Kevin Harter, Bloomingdale’s vice president of integrated marketing and the fashion office. “For me, this is the most exciting Carousel we have done to date. We really re-created the space.
“We have carried Stella’s accessories and shoes for some time, but this is the first time we are showcasing some of her ready-towear,” Harter said, referring to Shared, the designer’s genderless, street-inspired capsule collection.
Stellabration, which opened Thursday, really reflects the world of Stella McCartney and her passion for eco-friendly, sustainable products. Along with the
Shared capsule collection, styles from Adidas by Stella McCartney, McCartney’s spring 2021 and resort 2021 accessories, and her swim and kids merchandise are presented. There are also beauty, wellness and home products that McCartney’s team, collaborating with the Bloomingdale’s team, selected from other brands simpatico with her values.
The Carousel space, launched in September 2018 and located on the north side of the Bloomingdale’s flagship, is rigged with two large video walls, each with 35 individual screens. They’re projecting animated Stella McCartney imagery, and graphics from Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara who collaborated with McCartney on her Shared spring/summer 2021 collection, his first fashion collaboration. Bloomingdale’s Lexington Avenue windows display huge red letters that spell “Stella.”
“Thinking about the future of fashion is what drives and sustains me in all aspects of my work including this project with Bloomingdale’s,” said McCartney.
“For us at Stella McCartney, change has always been about being more in tune with Mother Earth and her creatures and using the fashion industry as a platform to make the message desirable. I’ve been working towards this change in the fashion industry for many years, proving that you don’t have to sacrifice style for the sake of sustainability. Living sustainably can start by making small changes, and even these small steps can have a positive impact on the environment.”
Among the products selling at Stellabration are jersey T-shirts, priced $250 to $325, and jersey sweatshirts, $550 to $1,050, made from 100 percent organic cotton and using up to 70 percent less water than conventional cotton, with no toxic chemicals or pesticides. There’s also the New Holden jacket priced $1,695, and matching trousers, $775.
Among the accessories: small chunky chain shoulder bags, $1,290; Falabella mini totes, $865; Stella logo-ed tote bags, $835, along with sunglasses and small nonleather goods.
There are also reusable Stasher bags, $20; Gir reusable travel straws, $14; LARQ self-cleaning water bottles, $118; folding bikes from Citizen, $699 to $1,149, and a selection of clean beauty finds such as natural luxury skin care from Tata Harper, who worked with McCartney to provide skin care at shows during Paris Fashion Week, and Jenny Patinkin vegan brush sets, $60, and bamboo reusable rounds, $38.
In home, the selection includes
John Robshaw organic bedding, $395; Marie Burgos sustainable candles, $69; Caraway cooking sets, $395; Himalayan bath salt crystals from Geocentral, $18, and Amborella Organic seed-bearing lollipops, $55, made with a biodegradable stick that can be planted and grown into an herb or flower.
At the 59th Street flagship’s Bloomscape plant garden, with a $100 purchase from The Carousel from April 17 to May 8, shoppers will receive a complimentary plant. Each plant will have a QR code leading to Conservation International’s website, one of the environmental organizations McCartney supports, to learn about the nonprofit’s mission and to donate directly. Bloomingdale’s has donated to Conservation International. McCartney will tonight discuss her impact on the fashion industry and sustainability on “Bloomingdale’s On Screen,” the store’s virtual event series platform, in a conversation with Lindsay Peoples Wagner, The Cut’s editor in chief. The Carousel @ Bloomingdale’s: Stellabration runs through May 17 at Bloomingdale’s
59th Street and on bloomingdales.com.
McCartney is the first designer to take over the store’s pop-up format.