Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney was born in London to a family of creators who were legendary in public, but ordinary at home. Raised in both the city and the English countryside, she was kept grounded by her late mother and muse Linda – a photographer, vegetarian and animal rights activist whose values and innate appreciation for beauty continue to inspire her today.

She graduated from Central St Martins in 1995, becoming immediately recognisable for her womenswear’s sharp tailoring, bold aesthetics and masculine energy. By 1997, she was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe in Paris and led the house to critical and commercial success. In 2001, Stella McCartney launched her eponymous luxury fashion house and showed her first collection in Paris that October. A lifelong vegetarian, she has never used leather, feathers, skin or fur in any of her designs since day one – a revolutionary stance, then and now. Since those first seeds were planted, the brand has continued to grow its sustainability thought leadership through material and supply chain innovation, partnerships and more. Subsequent key highlights for the brand include launching the STELLA fragrance in 2003, the ongoing adidas by Stella McCartney athletic-wear partnership in September 2004 and the first lingerie collection in 2008. In 2010, the iconic Falabella bag was introduced – distinguished by a braided chain detail the bag and now one of the fashion house’s best-selling items. Stella Kids was also launched that year and the sustainable fashion house additionally expanded into eco-friendly eyewear in 2011. Stella was appointed Team Great Britain’s Creative Director for the 2012 London Summer Games by adidas – the first time in the history of the games that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a country’s team across all Olympic competitions. In 2016, she launched the new POP fragrance and unveiled her first full swimwear collection. Additionally, Stella was invited to be the adidas Team GB Creative Director again for the Summer 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The first-ever namesake menswear collection launched in Spring 2017 and Stella designed the first-ever vegan Stan Smith in Fall 2018. That year, she also launched the Stella McCartney Cares Foundation – a non-profit charity platform supporting sustainability and breast cancer awareness, causes personally close to the designer’s heart. After 17 years of partnership, Stella purchased Kering’s stake in her company in 2018. Later that year, she designed Meghan Markle’s wedding reception dress and partnered with the United Nations on a sustainable fashion charter. In 2019, Stella McCartney entered into a partnership with LVMH to further develop her brand, while retaining majority ownership. She will also serve as a special advisor on sustainability to Bernard Arnault and the conglomerate’s executive committee. Stella additionally became the first fashion designer ever to appear on the cover American Vogue in January 2020. Today, Stella McCartney spans women’s ready to wear, menswear, kids’ clothing, accessories, swimwear, lingerie, a performance wear collaboration with adidas, fragrances and more – with 55 freestanding stores across New York City, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. Our collections are now sold in 77 nations through 863 specialty shops and department stores, and ship to 100 countries via online. For partnership inquiries please contact: +39 02-23345 291 info@stellamccartney.com