Sustainable Style by Stella McCartney

Sustainable Style by Stella McCartney

No one could chalk up Stella McCartney’s success to her father’s fame—although many have tried. Afterall, building a luxury brand without the use of leather or fur in a market based on bags and shoes is a feat not to be looked on lightly. With unparalleled ethics and a fresh take on English aesthetics, Stella McCartney has redefined what it means to be a British luxury brand.

Building a fashion label as sturdy as Stella’s take a good foundation and strong pillars, so even after McCartney takes her leave, her house will stand strong as a beacon for the future of fashion.

The Foundation

She may have grown up affluent and influential but she didn’t live a typical life of privilege. What could be called her bleeding heart may have been born from her time living on an organic farm, being raised a vegetarian, while her humility could in part be a product of attending a state-run school. Both contribute to her brand. On the other hand, her well-honed skills and refined aesthetic can be traced back to her time spent in London at Central Saint Martin, her time training under Christian Lacroix and her first posting as Creative Director at Chloé.

The Ethos

Taking eco-chic mainstream, Stella McCartney is not your typical earthy-crunchy brand—it’s stylish, sophisticated and always on-trend. More than just organic cotton T-shirts and fake fur, they examine every aspect of their business from the store design to their sourcing and looking for ways to make greener, more sustainable decisions. A company that is aware of the true cost of fashion, they are leading the way for future brands to follow in their footsteps, proving sustainability can be and should be synonymous with luxury.

The Aesthetic

Not only is Stella McCartney’s approach to ethical fashion modern, her view on women is too. With an understanding that today’s women are complicated, so is her aesthetic. A constant contradiction between feminine and masculine, country and urban, youthful and grown-up, her collections feed into the modern woman’s freedom to be whoever she wants to be in that moment. This  is a leap forward when compared to historic fashion houses who paint their woman in a broad brush season after season whether it’s strictly feminine and pretty or revved-up punk rock.

Setting the groundwork for a sustainable fashion system as well as concreting her own rightfully earned place in fashion history, Stella McCartney has built a house that will last.

According to McCartney, green is the new black.

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