The Designer and Sustainability Advocate Will Speak to More Than 3,400 Graduates at the Savannah Ceremony
Stella McCartney will serve as commencement speaker for the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Savannah graduation ceremony on Friday, addressing more than 3,400 graduates at the Savannah Convention Center.
The British designer will also receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from SCAD during the ceremony, which celebrates students across more than 40 programs including fashion design, fashion marketing and management, accessory design, design for sustainability, film and television, interior design, graphic design, animation, and illustration.
This year marks the university’s largest graduating class to date, with more than 4,500 students graduating across SCAD’s Savannah, Atlanta, and SCADnow online programs.
“I’m truly honored to receive this recognition from SCAD and humbled to speak to the next generation of creatives at such a pivotal moment in their lives,” McCartney said. “Education, curiosity and challenging tradition have always been central to my journey. I believe young designers have the power to reshape our industry for the better.”
A graduate of Central Saint Martins, McCartney was appointed creative director of Chloé in 1997 before launching her namesake label in 2001. Throughout her career, she has become one of fashion’s most prominent advocates for sustainability and cruelty-free luxury, never using leather, fur, feathers, or exotic skins in her collections.
Following a 17-year partnership with Kering, McCartney reacquired the group’s stake in her company in 2018. She later entered a partnership with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2019, while also serving as a sustainability adviser to chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault.
Paula Wallace, founder and president of SCAD, connected McCartney’s career to the university’s graduating class and creative mission. “As the career of our commencement speaker — visionary designer and sustainability entrepreneur Stella McCartney — demonstrates, creativity with conviction can change the world,” Wallace said.
SCAD will also award Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters to footwear designers Sam and Libby Edelman and Kohler vice president of design Michael Seum during the Savannah ceremony.
The university’s Atlanta commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 30, with speaker details to be announced at a later date.