Fashion Rebellion

Meet the style revolutionaries – a cutting-edge designer, environmental campaigner and supermodel activist – who’ve made it their call of duty to change the way we shop.

- Lauren Sams

WHAT STELLA DID NEXT

MORE THAN 20 YEARS AFTER SHE BURST ONTO THE FASHION SCENE, STELLA McCARTNEY IS STILL DOING WHAT SHE DOES BEST: SHOWING US ALL THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO SACRIFICE STYLE TO SAVE THE PLANET

AS THE DAUGHTER OF A BEATLE (Sir Paul, to us), Stella McCartney could have lived an idle life of luxury – all long lunches and international shopping sprees – if that’s what she wanted. But what she truly desired was something much bigger than that kind of life. What she wanted was nothing less than leading a fashion revolution.

From her very first collection, the lifelong vegetarian has avoided using leather, fur and other animal products in her clothing. And while critics once dismissed this as a gimmick, it’s clear she was 10 steps ahead of us all. Nowadays, ethical fashion is becoming the norm – and we have McCartney to thank for that.

The first designer to truly bridge the gap between eco-conscious and fashion-conscious, McCartney recently bought back the 50 per cent stake of her business owned by global conglomerate Kering (her original co-founder in a joint venture agreement). After all, when you’re leading the revolution, you’ve got to do it your way.

For the first time ever, you showed both women’s and men’s wear at your autumn/winter 18 -19 Paris show. What was the inspiration behind this?