Stella McCartney

By Hayden Lu

 

Already coming from a famous family background, Stella McCartney is known for her avant-garde silhouettes and sustainable designs. This British designer was born on September 13th, 1972 in London. When she started getting into fashion, Stella designed her first-ever jacket just at the age of 12. McCartney motivates herself to design leather and fur-free apparel.  Throughout her career, Stella McCartney used her fame to bring awareness to more sustainable fashion.

 

Stella McCartney’s talent in the fashion industry led her to earn many different achievements and awards. For example, she has won the Vogue Designer of the Year in 2000, Glamour Award in 2004, the Elle Style Award in 2007,  etc. However, her skills do not stop her at the luxurious, expensive level, she has collaborated with brands that are more accessible for much more people, such as Adidas and H&M. With her strong passion to reduce the use of animal skin, Stella supports organizations with the same goal. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an organization for animal rights, is one of the corporations that McCartney supports and uses as inspiration to create vegan products. But why does this matter so much to her? In an interview with Vogue, Stella states how she wants her clothing to be, “Where you’re not just providing an alternative… you’re creating a great product”. She wants the world to know that just because you are changing something that is supposedly normal, doesn’t mean that it is any less than, but rather equal to or even better than before. 

 

There were many achievements and goals that Stella McCartney met during her fashion career, however, would she have been who she is today without the help of her famous and rich background? It’s hard to tell, but I believe that she wouldn’t have an easy start to her brand. Her father was Paul McCartney, who was a former member of The Beatles, a famous band in the mid-60s. The Beatles were one of the best-selling music acts of all time with over 600 million albums sold worldwide. Stella was already born into this wealthy family, therefore she was fortunate enough to have the money and supplies to teach herself everything she needed to know about her passion. In addition, Stella McCartney pulled inspiration from her father’s style into her designs. In an article with GC, they commonly show how Paul McCartney’s style back in the 60s consisted of sharply tailored clothing; blazers, suits, collared shirts, etc. 

 

Throughout her career, Stella McCartney had the motivation to go against the standard of using animal-based products in her designs. Instead, going above and beyond by figuring out ways to provide a healthier environment for the future. Stella McCartney is not only known for her famous designs in clothing, but also for her tribute to mother nature herself.