Stella McCartney Brand Book

SUSTAINABILITY
STELLA McCARTNEY
EVERYTHING IS AT STAKE
The designer, who has been leading the charge for sustainable
practices in fashion, revealed her plans for the industry to work
towards a more ethical future.
A lifelong vegetarian who founded her cruelty-free
namesake brand in 2001, Stella McCartney has
been in the game of ethical fashion long before it
was trending. Now, she is using her platform as
a designer and businesswoman to implore others
to follow in her footsteps. At VOICES 2018 she
revealed the launch of a UN charter for climate
action within the fashion industry, which delineates
16 commitments for lessening fashion’s impact
on the environment.
McCartney also revealed her latest charitable initiative
“Stella McCartney Cares Green,” which
aims to empower students, professionals and businesses
to embrace sustainable and ethical practices.
It will work towards influencing change
among policymakers too. This call to action was
underscored by an appeal to the collective responsibility
of those in fashion. “It’s really about
bringing everyone together as an industry,” she
said. “Actually, taking responsibility, putting our
money where our mouth is and making an amazing
change together.”
The following interview with Lucy Siegle has been
transcribed and shortened from the Business of
Fashion podcast. Follow the QR code to listen to
the full interview.
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“LUXURY IS HAVING A VOICE, HAVING FREEDOM, HAVING
CLEAN AIR TO BREATH, HAVING ANIMALS BY OUR SIDE
THAT ARE HAPPY AND HEALTHY AND TREATED WELL,
HAVING PURE WATER TO DRINK, AND HAVING THE LUXU-
RY OF HAVING MOTHER NATURE AND PLANET EARTH IN A
HEALTHY STATE”
SIEGLE
So we are virtually on the eve of COP24 and we traditionally
say these are historic occasions but it feels like monumental
would be more appropriate. We have a job to do and what we
know is when the political dialogue starts, we see policy makers,
politicians negotiating with the evidence. But you can’t
negotiate with the science, it needs to inform what we do. I’m
really delighted that we have a true leader here who knows you
don’t negotiate with the science but you use it to form a consolidated
response that closes
the gap between the ambition
that we need for future
generations because that’s
what’s at stake here and what
our response is as an industry.
So, let’s hear from Stella
McCartney, who’s basically
been doing it for 17 years,
leading this charge, and I’m
sure it must be lonely out in
front, so this is an opportunity
for the whole industry
to come together.
McCARTNEY
Firstly, hi everyone and thank you for having me. You know
we can’t run away from it. The reality is we are all faced with
this problem now. We are all going to suffer the consequences
if we do not take action in a positive way. We need to live in
harmony with planet earth, we need to live in harmony with
our fellow creatures, and we need to be respectful of everything
that she gives us. I mean she is like the gift that keeps
on giving if we can allow her to. So, we have everything really,
everything is at stake.
In Poland, on the 10th of December, the UN will unveil the
charter that has come together with over 20 industry leaders,
hard hitters, and that’s really what it needs. It needs more
than just my voice and some smaller institutions working on
this subject matter it really needs leaders to come together and
work as a force that can change policy and create laws and
legislations. They’re working on 16 commitments that we will
all hopefully adhere to. We are here to get people to sign up
to join because everyone’s voice matters and its really exciting,
it’s really about bringing everyone together as an industry and
instead of having a few people talk about it [sustainability], it’s
about having everyone talk about it, and it’s the leaders that
make the change at the sourcing, manufacturing and, design
[levels]. Then actually taking responsibility, putting our money
where our mouth is and making an amazing change together.
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