STELLA McCARTNEYSTELLA McCARTNEYPRE-FALL 2020Stella McCartney is a force of fashion. Her pioneering, environmentallyconscious practice has given the industry luxurylaced with mindfulness. “Don’t we know that fashion is tryingto bring beauty into the world?” she asked. “But at the sametime we’re trying to bring the utility side, the wearable side,and real honesty into the conversation on how we can be moreone with all the world around us, trying to meet our passion,bringing people together. It really comes from the heart.”The act of dressing has so many layered meanings; and evenif we’re questioning consumerism, overproduction, and all thedamage fashion is inflicting on the planet, clothes remain powerfulvectors of emotions and memories. They have the powerto cheer us up, to soothe and seduce. “That’s why I wanted tobring the emotional side back into the collection,” McCartneysaid, “and have moments of preciousness, eccentricity, and littleextra touches that make you feel special.”McCartney’s clothes are great not just because of all the sustainablegame-changing thinking that goes into them. Theyexpress a progressive point of view, creatively balanced betweenfemininity and practicality, glamour wearability, playfulnessand British cool. “At Stella, we are actually a lot women designingfor women, and there’s a lot of reasoning which goesinto the sourcing and the making,” she said, offering this asa way of explanation for why people would choose her label.Pre-fall offered plenty of reasons to chose Stella. Outerwearlooked great, with a play on voluminous sculptural proportions,on trapeze and cape-like cuts, and with an emphasis ondetails, like a sexy black faux-leather trench coat with a detachablepunched and scalloped collar with a romantic-tough edge.Other little touches included the rounded mismatched buttonsplayfully fastening a needle-punched city-coat in blown-upherringbone and the long, trailing faux-leather fringes gracingthe sleeves of a roomy, sculptural camel coat, giving a sense ofeccentric dynamism. It made for quite a dramatic statement.A range of sustainable materials added eco-conscious value aswell as creative oomph: organic cotton, sustainable viscose,recycled nylon and polyester, sustainable viscose and wool, regeneratedcashmere, and vegan leather. New additions includedKoba Fur-Free-Fur, a recycled and recyclable plant-based materialthat is so far the most sustainable animal-free fur evermade. It was used for a white herringbone-patterned coat thatfelt heavenly soft to the touch. Sustainable denim was proposedin a new version called Coreva, the first bio-degradable stretchdenim created from plant-based yarns, free from plastic andreplacing commonly used petrol-based elastomers.The same conscious approach was obviously extended to themen’s line, where work-wear-inspired yet polished tailoringcould be shared in a common wardrobe and worn either bya man or a woman. “I remember that my mom and my dadshared a wardrobe when I was young,” she said. “I find it inspiring—andI’ve always borrowed from men.”52
DESIGNImages: Stella McCartney Pre-fall 2020 Collection.(Stella McCartney, 2020).53