Born and raised in London and the English countryside, Stella McCartney, Paul McCartney's daughter, 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.
Stella McCartney is a complicated brand. It is principled and serious, but also beautiful and whimsical and fun. House codes range from masculine to ultra-feminine. There are city-slicker elements (the Falabella bag, with its chain hardware, is pure urban energy) and country-girl elements (horses, wild flowers, chunky lawn-picnic sandals). And it is these contrasts, these tensions, that the brand relate to.
Stella McCartney is one of the few designers without a signature style. The amazing thing about Stella McCartney is her ability to adapt to specific settings.
If she needs to create designs for a rock concert, she can successfully design amazing punk outfits with an edgy flare. When approached to design a magazine cover, she can switch her style to one that’s glamorous, sophisticated and classy. There are few designers in the industry with such a diversified portfolio of signature styles.
A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. Her collections include women’s ready-to-wear, menswear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and kids. Of great success also activewear line created in collaboration with Adidas.
