Stella McCartney Debuts Most Sustainable Collection Yet With Fall 2021

Back in 2019 when Stella McCartney was named Sustainability Adviser to LVMH, it made perfect sense that the young queen of cool, a vegetarian herself and a co-founder (with her dad Paul and sister Mary) of Meatless Mondays would lead the charge on how to make designer fashions more earth-friendly. After all, fashion is one of the worst offenders when it comes to generating an oversized carbon footprint, creating waste, using vast amounts of water and petroleum products, and emitting greenhouse gases.

Since then she launched a limited-edition vegan Hunter Wellington boot made from natural rubber sourced from sustainably managed forests in Guatemala, and that no habitats were disturbed and that local farm communities' wellbeing was protected. It was just the beginning of her ambitions to design clothes and shoes that are planet-friendly, vegan, and sustainable. And in September 2019 she introduced a line that was mostly made from sustainable materials. But that pales in comparison to her latest line.

Now, the ultra-influential fashion designer has created her most sustainable line yet, by sourcing 80 percent of the materials from eco-friendly materials and using her messaging to further push the fashion world into a full-tilt toward eco-friendly manufacturing practices. The 2021 Fall collection will feature styles made from ethically and sustainably sourced materials, including ‘forest friendly’ viscose, refurbished fabrics, and recycled polyester.

McCartney introduced the new collection on the website as: "Inspired by ‘J is for Joy’ from the McCartney A to Z Manifesto, Autumn 2021 is our most sustainable collection to date – an optimistic, energetic, colorful vision elevating performance wear archetypes and refocusing them with softness, sensuality, and fluidity."

The innovative collection will serve as a chance to promote animal welfare and environmental awareness and get released with a video that shows how humans and animals can live together in harmony.

This is even a step further than her Spring 2020 collection which was made from 75 percent sustainable sources and sent down the runway in September of 2019 in front of a video of animals humping, to the tune of Donna Summers' Love to Love You, Baby. Fashionista wrote at the time: "Stella McCartney really, really loves the planet." She's proving it again, as everlasting love.

“A world where all creatures live in harmony and with equality as possible: Music to our ears,” the video says. “The journey may be challenging at times. But, no matter our origin, it’s always possible to find common ground: be you a rabbit or raccoon.”

The collection is completely fur-free, staying far away from any animal products such as animal furs, skins, feathers, or leather. Beyond the clothing, McCartney’s shoes and bag are completely cruelty-free. Sustainable materials challenge the fashion industry’s common use of materials sourced from animals or from materials that damage the environment.
The Autumn 2021 collection is joined by another sustainable line that the brand has developed called Stella Sustainable. The collections use solely sustainable, eco-friendly materials that hope to change the direction of the fashion industry. Alongside these, McCartney is releasing the ‘J for Joy’ fall collection as a part of the designer's McCartney’s A to Z manifesto.

McCartney’s new line is accompanied by a promotional video that depicts models wearing both animal masks while showcasing the new collection. The fashion pioneer hopes that the video presents an absurd, eye-catching message that will help push forward talks about sustainability in the fashion industry. Narrated by comedian David Walliams, the promotional ‘mockumentary’ wanted to celebrate the increasing consumer consciousness about animal well-being with a lighter tone.

“Humour has always been really, really important to me and is at the core of what we do here at Stella McCartney,” McCartney said to Plant Based News. “When you’re talking about such an important subject matter - as we are with this campaign and with everything else we do here at Stella - sometimes you’ve got to lighten the load because otherwise, it can be very depressing.

“We’ve been doing this from day one, so 20 years this year, and now, more and more it seems like a conversation to have. But really, up until recently, it’s been a conversation that people felt very threatened by, very uncomfortable around, very defensive. So, humor has always been a good friend to the brand in trying to introduce an uncomfortable topic to our audience.”

The Autumn 2021 collection is currently available. McCartney hopes that this range and her brand will influence consumers and eventually the industry in its entirety. By experimenting with more sustainable materials, the designer is showing the fashion world the potential of sustainable clothing.