STELLA MCCARTNEY
Born and raised in London and the English countryside, Stella McCartney graduated from Central St Martins in 1995. A signature style of sharp tailoring, natural confidence and sexy femininity was immediately apparent in her first collection and after only two collections, in 1997, she was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe in Paris and enjoyed great success during her tenure.
Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house under her name in a partnership with Kering as a 50/50 joint venture and showed her first collection in Paris in October 2001. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. Her collections include women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and kids.
Stella McCartney now operates 51 freestanding stores in locations including Manhattan’s Soho, London’s Mayfair and Brompton Cross, LA’s West Hollywood, Paris’ Palais Royal, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. Her collections are now distributed in 77 countries through 863 doors including specialty shops, and department stores, as well as shipping to 100 countries online.
In 2003, Stella McCartney launched her first perfume “STELLA”. In addition to the mainline collection, a long-term partnership with adidas was introduced in September 2004. The critically acclaimed sports performance collection adidas by Stella McCartney, has since successfully grown to include several athletic disciplines including running, gym, yoga, tennis, swimming, winter sports and cycling.
In 2008, a new lingerie collection of aspirational styles that reflect a modern woman’s needs was launched. In Winter 2010 Stella McCartney introduced the Falabella handbag, distinguish by a braided chain detail the bag has since become one of the designer’s best-selling items. Also in 2010 the first Stella McCartney Kids collection debuted, capturing the spirit and energy of kids today for boys, girls and babies ages newborn to 14 years. In 2011 all Stella McCartney’s sunglasses adapted the designer’s eco-friendly ethos and have since expanded into optical and kids styles.
For the Olympic Summer Games in 2012, Stella McCartney was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director 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 competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.
2016 was another big year for the designer, launching the new fragrance POP; in the moment, bold, and irreverent, the scent for a new generation of women. During the summer she unveiled her first full swim collection of naturally feminine, naturally confident and modern designs without compromising on functionality and fit. Additionally, the designer was once again appointed as Team GB’s Creative Director by adidas for the Summer 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Most recently the designer debuted her first ever menswear collection under her eponymous brand label.
Stella McCartney’s commitment to sustainability is evident throughout all her collections and is part of the brand’s ethos to being a responsible, honest, and modern company.
