Stella McCartney sends plant-based ‘feathers’ down the runway

British fashion designer Stella McCartney is showcasing plant-based alternatives to real feathers in her latest collection, as the animal-rights campaigner takes on the “barbaric” farming of birds for clothing.

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“I've been having the conversation about not killing cows and goats and snakes or any living animal to be made into a shoe or handbag in my industry for over 30 years,” the 54-year-old said after her show during Paris Fashion Week on Sept 30.

“But I realised not that long ago that feathers were a whole other barbaric part of the industry,” she added.

Throughout her career, the daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney has consistently pushed vegan animal-free alternatives to the industry's staples of leather and exotic skins.

Her solution to replacing feathers in her latest show was a new product known as “fevvers”, produced by a British startup.

With help from Mumbai-based embroidery and textile house Chanakya International, the faux feathers featured in soft pastels, giving lightness to two gowns in pink and blue, as well as bodices.

“We grew blades of grass and naturally dyed them and then hand-stitched them onto incredible silhouettes. You get the same effect (as feathers), and you're not killing billions of birds,” said McCartney.

Exotic feathers have been a staple of the fashion industry since its advent.

They were considered a high-society status symbol in 19th-century Europe and North America.