ELLAMcCARTNEYis a busywoman.
ranted,we’reallbusy,butshe’sthekind
f busythatcastsone’sownbusynessin an
mbarrassingly feeble light. So busy, in
act,thattherewerereal fearsthispiece
ouldn’tcometogetherat all.
Weweretryingtoreachherat a hugely
oment:rightinthemidstofstagingher
S/S 2020 show, a spectacular in the Opéra Garnier,
herchosenvenuesincejoiningtheParisfashionweek
schedulein2001.Aftertheshow,she announcedthe
appointmentof a newchiefexecutiveofficerin Gabriele
MaggioandjettedtoAsiafora monthlongtour.Earlier
thisyearshelauncheda capsulecollectioninspiredby
The Beatles,calledAllTogetherNow;partneredwith
Googletotacklereducingtheuseofcottonandviscose;
andbecame LVMH’sspecialadvisor onsustainability
after the conglomerate invested an undisclosed sum
intoherlabel.Allthewhilerunninganestimated$490
million-a-year business, continuing to design collec-
tionsforadidasandleadingthechargeasthefashion
industry’s guiding light on responsible design and
manufacturing.Aswesaid,busy.
Let’s circle back to S/S 2020. The clothes were, as
always, fabulous. The tailoring was characteristically
strong(aftergraduatingLondon’sCentralSaintMartins,
McCartney studied under legendarySavile Row tailor
EdwardSextonof Nutters,bestknownforoutfittingtwo
of thefourBeatlesfortheAbbeyRoadcover),andincluded
oversizedblazerswithstatementlapels.Theflowysummer
dresseswerea highlighttoo.But,unexpectedly,it wasthe
decor thatgrabbed theinternet’s attention: large-scale
imagesofcopulatingcrittersprojectedontothebaroque
wallsof PalaisGarnier’sgrandhall.“Animalshavingsexis
crucialto thesurvivalof ourplanet,soI thoughtit wouldbea bitof
fun to have animals having sex projected around the venue,”
McCartneyexplains,laughing.“You’vegotto havesomefunbecause
theconversationthatI’mconstantlyhavingis a veryseriousone—I
representthiskindoffreakofnatureinthefashionindustry—so
I thinkit’simportanttokeeptheaudienceontheirtoesandbe
abletohavethatlittlelight-heartedtouchina show.”
Thecollectionwasthebrand’smostsustainabletodate,with
morethan 75 percentofallfabricsusedbeingeco-friendly.It also
marked thelaunch of McCartney’s latest iteration of fauxfur,
a materialcalledKoba,whichis madewith 37
percentplant-basedmaterialsandabletobe
recycledat theendof itslife.McCartneyintro-
ducedfauxfurtothebrandin2015,andhas
sinceworkedwithsustainablealpaca,regener-
atedcashmereandrecycledpolyesterandpoly-
urethane‘leather’forhandbags.Mohair,leather,
skins,fur,feathers andPVCare allbanned.
SupermodelNataliaVodianovaworea shin-lengthbeltedKobacoat
to sitfrontrowat theshow.Photographedamidtheopulentmarble
oftheoperahouse’sinterior,shecuta strikingfigure—a modern
counterparttothehistoricalmega-wealthyEuropeanopera-going
set, who were only seen in floor-skimming mink coats.
“Everysingleseasonwetryandgetbetterandbetterandbetter,”
McCartneysays.“Wehaveanincrediblesustainabilityteamwhoare
ontheground,speakingto oursuppliers,visitingthefarmswework
with,analysingoursupplychainsandtraceability,lookingat human
rightsandsocialsustainabilityandalsomeetingexcitingstartupswe
hearaboutwithme.Theyaretheeyesandears,andwehaveregular
meetingstodiscussourfindings—wecantalkaboutit forhours.
“It’simportantthatweareconstantly aheadofthegameand
thatwealignwithpeoplewhohavethesamevisionandbeliefsas
us,”shecontinues,“asweonlywanttobea partofinitiativesthat
areworkingtogenuinelyadvancechange.”
McCartney’s eco chopsarevery much in
fashionnow,butherpro-environmentalstance
didn’t receive such a warm welcome when
in2001,followinga four-year-stintatChloé,
shelaunchedhereponymousbrand.A vege-
tarian inspired by her mother, Linda, and
father,Paul’slifelongloveofanimals,shewas
determinedthatherlabelbecrueltyfreeandsustainablefromthe
get-go. “We’ve beenchallenging the norm since the beginning,
whenpeoplethoughtI wasa crazyeco-weirdoandtheydidn’twant
tolisten,”shesays.“I’mveryproudofthefactthatI’vestucktomy
beliefsandhaven’tchangedthewayI work,evenwhenpeoplewould
tellmeI wouldn’thavea successfulbusinessif I didthingsthisway.”
Photographedonthesepagesis McCartney’sresort 2020 collec-
tion,whichfeaturesplayfulsun-printmotifs,dip-dyeddenimand
hugely flattering suiting. Pieces are embroidered with phrases
penned by author and environmentalist Jonathan Safran Foer, a“Irepresentthiskind
offreakofnatureinthefashionindustry.”
- Stella Mccartney
83 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU December 2019
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