For over 20 years, Stella McCartney has reconciled the irreconcilable and forged her own path, drawing many big names in fashion in her wake.

Who is she? Daughter of Paul (The Beatles) and his wife Linda, an American musician and photographer, Stella McCartney was born in 1971 in England. She grew up very simply on a farm in Sussex, where the family grew vegetables and raised sheep. She lived as a "hippie" with parents who became vegetarian activists following a stay in an ashram in India, at a time when it was not yet common. The journey of this visionary woman, the first to have combined Green fashion and Style.

A superwoman above all

Fashion, the real thing, has fascinated her since she was little and she joined the famous Saint Martins College in London (Fashion School) just after high school.

Two years after graduating, she replaced Karl Lagerfeld at Chloé as Artistic Director, and she quadrupled the house's sales.

She created her own house 4 years later (in 2001), within the Kering group. She was barely 30 years old! Two years later, she opened 3 boutiques (in London, Los Angeles and New York) where young trendy people immediately appropriated her chic and trendy brand, then distributed her clothing line in 40 countries.

This little prodigy doesn't stop there. In 2003, she created her perfume Stella with L'Oréal and her line of cosmetics Care (certified organic, paraben-free, preservative-free, silicone-free, in biodegradable packaging).

In 2008, she created a line of fine lingerie, embroidered in a retro style, in organic and biodegradable material, accessories (this is where her Falabella bag in vegetable leather was born, still a bestseller since 2010). Then a children's collection (Stella Mc McCartney kids) with the same ecological ethics, and glasses. She followed up with a 2nd perfume, a men's collection, swimsuits. And during this time, she raised her 4 children.

A subtle combination of glamour and commitment

A vegetarian like her mother and an environmental activist within PETA to defend animal rights, she was also the first to raise awareness in the fashion industry about eco-responsibility .

His activism immediately revolutionized fashion by boycotting fur and leather, but also mohair, angora and feathers, in favor of 100% natural materials and synthetics, such as neoprene or imitation leather.

It's a radical break, especially in the world of luxury where fur and leather were essential, but she explains that "50 million animals are killed just for the fashion industry and the link between food, diseases and the environment is a global problem. Even if it can be 70% more expensive, we absorb these costs in our margin and we develop our products differently, without horse, pig or fish glue."

An idealism that turns into pragmatism

Tireless, she is a fan of collaborations and imposes the same approach to eco-responsible fashion, without compromise, on the brands with which she cooperates.

She has been working for 20 years with Adidas, for whom she makes sports collections with comfortable, technical, trendy clothing. Adidas by Stella Mac McCartney, these are outfits for jogging, gymnastics, yoga, tennis, swimming, winter sports, cycling. She also dresses the English athletes for the 2012 Olympics, with such success that she does it again 4 years later for the Rio Olympics.

She also collaborates with Gap and H&M on capsule collections, and here again this icon imposes her values ​​and her demands in terms of sustainability. A determination that goes as far as reviewing H&M labels to teach consumers to do less washing. For Target Australia, she creates 42 models in natural materials. In fact, it's a movement that she imprints everywhere she goes!

The green guarantee of major fashion groups

Within the Kering group, she sets ethical objectives which concern all of the Group's purchases, then she takes back full control of her brand in 2018.

At the same time, it is opening a new store in London, which it says is its most sustainable, thanks to its air purification process.

In 2019, she began a collaboration with LVMH and became Bernard Arnault's advisor on sustainable development.

Innovation in the service of naturalness

The same year, his show featured Natalia Vodianova, dressed in a black faux fur of plant origin and biodegradable, the Koba. His collection, more ecological than ever, is a fireworks display in terms of innovation, made from materials such as raffia, organic cotton and regenerated nylon.

In 2020, she went even further by presenting creations designed from mushroom fiber . First a bag, then clothes in a material called Mylo, made from mushroom filaments, presented as infinitely renewable. She designs her own sustainable and ethical high-tech materials and strives to reduce the environmental impact of her entire manufacturing process.

Sensual femininity, high-quality cuts, soft and practical clothing for active women, oversized sweaters, spidery blouses, flowing dresses, soft pants, in chic and sober colors... The Stella McCartney style reconciles desirability and eco-responsibility like no other.