Schooled By Stella
Emirates Woman|January 2019

A chat about sustainable practices in fashion with Stella McCartney is an education. Her sustainability knowledge runs deep – so much so she can easily catch you out on your own research. She wants to overhaul the incredibly wasteful industry that she’s in – and it’s a battle she’s fighting hard for

Georgie Bradley
Schooled By Stella

Firing on all cylinders is Stella McCartney’s normal mode. The many-hats-wearing-designer is in Dubai for a whistle-stop 24 hours and it’s her second time in the city in three years. In fashion, travel is as much an expectation as delivering a new collection each season – but Stella “tries to keep it to a minimum because I have the kids” (that’s three).

She’s sat in a thick strobe of afternoon light which illuminates her glacial blue eyes. Tucking into a glass bowl of roasted cashew nuts, she’s taking a brief hour to do media interviews between a morning of visiting her boutique in The Dubai Mall and a late-night dinner with the press. No frills, no fuss, she’s every bit un-celebrity with her shoes strewn across the carpet, her hair scruffed up into a wispy ponytail and sitting crossed-legged in a child-like way.

Despite entering the fashion world through a wide doorway (famously being Paul McCartney’s daughter) Stella is a household name in her own right as she continues to reinvent the fashion wheel with sustainable practices in fashion. She is essentially building an environment that suits her – a kind of environment that isn’t responsible for “cutting down 100,000,000 trees” as per last year’s records, which is set to increase this year.

Despite seeking new methods to source materials (making materials rather than using what’s already available) to be as sustainable as possible, Stella McCartney is still a luxury house with quality and style at the forefront of its ethos. And more and more Stella’s looking at ways to create fashion without sacrificing the planet. So far, she’s leading the way.

You’re at the forefront of fashion’s cleaner production movement. What small things have you started doing in your day-to-day production that’s helping in a big way?

Denne historien er fra January 2019-utgaven av Emirates Woman.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra January 2019-utgaven av Emirates Woman.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA EMIRATES WOMANSe alt
Ride the Wave
Emirates Woman

Ride the Wave

Hanalei Reponty-Gudauska could surf before she could walk. Embodying her love for the beach and water, she founded sustainable swimwear brand Abysse with her mother, Raphaele. At the heart of the brand is the aim to: “Produce less, produce well.”

time-read
6 mins  |
July/August 2021
The Vacation Uniform
Emirates Woman

The Vacation Uniform

Totême and MATCHESFASHION conjure the perfect summer capsule collection

time-read
1 min  |
July/August 2021
Summer Skin
Emirates Woman

Summer Skin

The best in beauty to give you a make-up free, fresh summer glow

time-read
1 min  |
July/August 2021
Style & Substance
Emirates Woman

Style & Substance

With a focus on slowing fashion down, Dear Frances is the footwear brand delivering along with sleek and sophisticated styles

time-read
5 mins  |
July/August 2021
The SUMMER Escape
Emirates Woman

The SUMMER Escape

Channel effortless ease with Isabel Marant’s new eyewear collection for SS21

time-read
1 min  |
July/August 2021
The Body Glow
Emirates Woman

The Body Glow

An edit of superlative products to let you shine inside and out this summer

time-read
2 mins  |
July/August 2021
Impactful Skincare
Emirates Woman

Impactful Skincare

Sunday Riley is all about making an impact. The cruelty-free skincare brand “powered by science, balanced by botanicals” is dedicated to delivering measurable results

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2021
Making Waves
Emirates Woman

Making Waves

Guia Cleps, Founder of Italian swimwear brand Reina Olga, on what inspired her to create form-fitting designs that champion every body shape

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2021
Heat Proof
Emirates Woman

Heat Proof

The best SPFs to protect your skin

time-read
1 min  |
July/August 2021
A Greek Odyssey
Emirates Woman

A Greek Odyssey

A temple of relaxation, Amanzoe

time-read
1 min  |
July/August 2021