Celebrity Style

We asked Stella McCartney how to change the world

Here is what she had to say

by : Lisa Guimond- May 5th, 2016

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What are you most proud of when it comes to how you run your business?
“I’m in fashion and I do not use leather, fur or PVC. It has really become my point of difference. It’s the most game-changing thing we’ve done in the industry. This is what drives me, challenges me and defines the modernity of my brand. So for me, it’s really about questioning the process. Fashion has to modernize; it has to challenge its history. It’s about the bigger picture, about the future of our world and how we can help impact that!”

What steps did you take to ensure that your business matches your values?
“I was brought up on an organic farm in the countryside; the whole family was vegetarian, so it sort of came without thinking. When it came to having a career, starting a job and starting  a brand in fashion, it wouldn’t have  sat comfortably with me to be hypocritical.”

How did your parents prepare you for life in the spotlight?
“I grew up pretty normal: school, dinner, telly, bed. I attended a state school, which was valuable and gave me a better understanding of the real world,  although sometimes there was mad stuff, like hanging out with Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson.”

What’s your relationship with fame?
“In the beginning of my career, I was always criticized for becoming a designer and confronted with so many prejudices about me using my popular last name to make it in the fashion industry. But I decided not to listen to that, to study fashion design at a fashion college known for its tough education and to pursue my career. Today I know that people would not wear my clothes if they did not like them, whether my last name is McCartney or not.”

How would you describe the femininity you’re designing?
“The masculine and the feminine have always been my inspiration – in particular the point at which they meet and the balance between the two sides. There is something extremely modern and also naturally sexy about combining those contrasts; it’s the two sides of a woman’s personality.”