What the garment is and where it came from
It is a garment produced without leather or fur, using vegan-friendly materials like vinyl and ultrasuede, grounded in Stella McCartney’s environmentalist and animal rights commitments.
The label began in 2001, when she launched her own house in a joint venture with the Gucci Group (now Kering) and showed her first collection in Paris. She had been creative director of Chloé from 1997 to 2001. Before that she made her first jacket at 13, interned with Christian Lacroix at 16, worked for Edward Sexton, her father’s Savile Row tailor, and graduated from Central Saint Martins in 1995.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
It works as a garment that declares its ethics before it functions as clothing. It moves with the body but does not hide its construction in oil-based synthetics.
The policy is stated on the clothes themselves. One Adidas jacket carries a sleeve printed with “suitable for sporty vegetarians”. McCartney has designed with Adidas since 2004, beginning with a joint-venture line in September of that year that produced a women’s sports-performance collection.
What it gets right
It gets right the refusal of leather and fur, and the use of text to make ethics legible on the body.
She has kept to the position for a long time: she is a lifelong vegetarian, and in 2010 she worked with PETA to petition the British Ministry of Defence to end the use of Canadian black bear fur for the guards’ hats. The military has yet to make the change. In 2024 PETA named her its “Person of the Year”.
What it does not
It does not avoid ecological concerns raised by oil-based synthetics.
What it changed
It changed how luxury fashion frames material choice: from craft or status to ethical position.
The same house also moved into sport. In 2010 Adidas appointed her Team GB’s creative director for the 2012 Olympics, the first time a leading fashion designer had made the apparel for a country’s athletes across every Olympic and Paralympic competition. She kept the role for the 2016 Games.
Who it is for, and who it is not
It is for someone who prioritises animal-free production and wants that stance visible — not for someone seeking natural fibres or low-impact materials.
The range is wider than ready-to-wear. It includes a perfume (2003), a 100% organic skincare line (2007), lingerie with the Bendon Group (2008), a children’s collection (2010) and a first menswear collection of athleisure and pyjama-inspired pieces (2016). In April 2018 she bought out Kering’s stake and took full control of the house. LVMH took a 49% stake in 2019, and she bought it back in January 2025.
Is it worth your time
It is worth your time if you need clothing that aligns with a no-animal stance — and if you accept the trade-off of synthetic materials.
