Stella McCartney Says It’s About Time to F*****g Wake Up
Review of Stella McCartney Fall 2024 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
Calling all humans, Stella McCartney has a message from Mother Earth, and whether you refer to her as Gaia (in Greek culture she is the goddess of Earth, mother of all life), or the Magna Mater (the Latin name for the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele), there are no more niceties, as it’s about time to f*****g wake up.
The destruction of the planet, never far from McCartney’s mind, felt ever more urgent to the designer, and she’s right. The sustainability savant is shouting from the rooftops about how we can make actual change and is creating the collections to prove it. In writing a letter to the world, from the viewpoint of Mother Earth, the pre-show scene was set. Read by Oscar-winning British actresses Olivia Colman and Helen Mirren, the letter was “mouthed by the lips of eco activists on sustainable screens” as confirmed in a press release. It was a positive outlook that there is still time to make a difference, but the time to act is now, because “You cannot cut the umbilical cord that connects the entire planet, I am the only mother where it is natural for her to outlive her children. But what will be left of me, after you?”
Fall was a particularly strong season, inspired by wardrobe finds from her famous parents – Linda and Paul – and wanting to develop the perfect tailored suit, which she noted is always at its core masculine, in that it fits like a man’s suit that’s been borrowed and made the wearers own. Saying backstage “I’m always trying to bring back that perfect Savile Row suit…and construction is critical as it took 3 years just to set a sleeve, we spend hours, days, weeks, and months developing”. A keen example of the designers dedication to perfecting the art of building a brand whose clothing will last beyond a season. In what was presented today there was a firm lean into the shoulder and the idea of scale, rather than oversize everything, each piece of outerwear, trouser, or jacket felt right-sized. Cinched where needed or left to fold and fall where it may. Glimmers of high-shine embellishment adorned coats and formed geometric patterns across the necklines of mini shifts, as well as slouchy denim, proving that to be sustainable doesn’t mean sacrificing what makes partywear so appealing.
It does seem puzzling that the brand, with the full backing of a conglomerate such as LVMH hasn’t received more help in rolling out their environmental and sustainability strategies across more of its stable of brands. Why should McCartney be the only shining example? When she proves time and again that it is possible to create clothes which have a low impact and are also desirable. And further to that if her tailoring were to be placed side-by-side with any of her counterparts in luxury fashion, consumers would be hard pressed to tell the difference. And, of course, Gaia would be supremely grateful.
THE BUZZWORDS
Combatting climate urgency with creativity, fit-focussed tailoring, super-sized knits.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #30
Inspired by interiors, her multi-loop knitted coat was a moment of joy, and boldness in colour, while at the same time being completely wearable.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
I think we’re in a state, all of us inhabiting Mother Earth, I think it’s a very difficult time for all the different generations. All of us are in a questionable moment, and I want the platform of Stella McCartney as a fashion house to have a message. My intention is to show the purpose of the brand, which is to inform people that we are one of the most harmful industries, and how can we celebrate what we do at Stella? By being more sustainable, and we show it on the runway, hopefully when you see it the clothes are not compromised.
– Stella McCartney, creative director, Stella McCartney
THE WRAP UP
Backstage there were a few within the editors scrum who were trying to provoke the designer into admitting her anger – an emotion she freely admitted she did not feel as the show was a celebration of earth and a reminder that we should be conscious of our position in the world as co-inhabitors with the rest of its creatures. The designer is instead choosing to adopt a position of empowerment, saying “I want to have a feeling of positivity, I didn’t want it to feel negative, or make us all feel depressed or scared”. The story of the show was to uplift and with the creative flair the designer embeds into her work, as a woman designing for women, it is not hard to buy into her perfectly cut tailoring, maximalist knitwear, and liquid-like dresses, while doing your part for the environment and feeling good about make an impact in a positive way.
