An Ocean of Sustainable Ideas
Review of Stella McCartney Spring 2027 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
Stella McCartney is a designer who stands alone while it comes to remaining dedicated to her sustainability efforts, even after the industry (and public pressure) have moved on.
There was a time when the industry was in collective agreement that reducing its outsized impact on the environment was a cause worth investing in. Yet after her spring 2027 show McCartney became the sole, but still powerful voice who spoke directly to the industry backstage “All the major luxury groups have good intentions, I just know that it would help me, and smaller brands, who are trying to work in this way (sustainably) for the big brands to accept a new way of working, a new supply chain that’s meaningful and would also [help push] the new innovations that we use. We need the big players to help scale it up.”
A call she often has to repeat even after the viability of her approach has been proven, especially for the way it looks no different from any other ready-to-wear collection on show this week. Still, her call falls on deaf ears, so it is admirable to watch her continue the work that may one day change the industry, when said change can no longer be ignored.
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
I’m here to share my knowledge. It’s been 30 years and I have all the answers and the solutions.
Taking up for a different cause each season, as the world continues to reel from climate change, next spring will pay its respects to her love of the underwater i.e. the ocean. Her latest edition of the Stella Times (that has become a companion piece to each show) featured the designer in conversation with a whale (the headline read ‘Grieving Mother Speaks to Stella Times After Losing her Calf to Fishing Gear’), strange yes, but it speaks to the her mindset of animals being equal to humans. So why shouldn’t they be able to also talk to us?
The season opener was voiced by oceanographer and marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle, who invited guests ‘beneath the blue’ to explore their connection, not just to the animals of the land, but the sea too. It connected with a moment from McCartneys youth which sparked the idea for the theme. On first discovering about the ocean and the depths we will never fully comprehend, she questioned the conflict between how ocean creatures were viewed as both ‘sea life’ and ‘sea food.’ In this battle the designer of course came down on the side of life, saying post show “the fishing industry is stealth, we are at war with the ocean. So sea life or sea food, what’s my choice? That was the message but I tried to deliver it with a lightness of touch.”
Time and again the designer has proven what can be done with a little effort, so at this stage questions need to be raised around the ongoing resistance by the industry at large to adopt her innovative solutions. As it is likely to discourage emerging designers from adopting more sustainable practices if one of its most influential and vocal names struggles to move the dial. Because what was not to love in her mermaid-esque designs that have been revived from the archive and could be worn on land or at sea. Gathered bodysuits, puffy peplum tops, Orca sweaters, and ruffled bandeaus were produced using recycled polyester and ‘Living Ink’s Algae Black™ who have developed a process to turn algae biomass into a pigment that is non-toxic. And would not have been picked out from a line-up as sustainable designs.
Ste adfast in her mission that ‘desirability does not have to come at the expense of life’ it is the emerging talent who will likely take up her offer of guidance on building a brand sustainably, providing both the physical resources to innovative fabrics and the design know-how. Andy if McCartney can influence even a third of the new designers entering the industry to work in this way then she may just win the battle over the long term.
THE WRAP UP
As she reminds us “it’s been 30 years, I have all the answers and the solutions.” And for an industry that prides itself on anticipating trends and pushing the boundaries the designer highlighted the fact that “we have been working with the same materials for hundreds of years.” Change can come soon enough and when it does the industry needs to get on the wave, least it risks getting swept away.
