I Don’t Want It To Look Like Sustainable Fashion: Stella McCartney Debuted Grape Leather and Regenerative Cotton at Paris Catwalk Show

Stella McCartney’s recent catwalk show featured regenerative ‘shirt to dirt’ cotton and leather alternatives and aimed to be subtly sustainable.

Source: FF Channel/YouTube

The catwalk show was held in a public square in Paris in front of the Pompidou Centre. McCartney hoped to make this her most sustainable yet, while also making sure that no one noticed.

“If I’m doing my job right, you shouldn’t see any of the sustainability,” McCartney said. “It should just look like the most luxurious, glamorous show. I don’t want it to look like sustainable fashion – I want it to look sexy and effortless and easy.”

McCartney’s main goal was to impress Bernard Arnault, the chairman and chief executive of the LVMH luxury goods company. The Guardian reported that McCartney hoped Arnault would notice the elegant “leather” shoulder bags bade from grape-based leather along with the chain strap on the bag made from mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, and the solvent-free crystals on the mesh catsuit.

McCartney became a special adviser on sustainability to Arnault when his company, LVMH, took a stake in her company.

“Mr. Arnault is not stupid. While he is watching my show, looking at all these non-leather shoes, non-leather bags, non-leather jackets, he can compare what he’s looking at with the other brands. He can see that there is no sacrifice visually, or in make, or in quality, in what I’m doing.”

All of this is with one goal in mind, to try to convince Arnault that grape skin from LVMH vineyards can be used as a leather alternative.

McCartney also used regenerative cotton from a three-year pilot project in Turkey. The cotton production process captures carbon in the soil and has been named “dirt to shirt.”

Much like our food, it’s easy for many to forget where their clothes come from. Animals are tortured, maimed, and brutally murdered in the fashion industry. When fashion kills, it’s time for us to begin educating ourselves and the public about how animals are exploited in the fashion industry and what we can do to change the horrifying realities. 

We need to preserve our planet! 13 million tons of clothes end up in our landfills, and fast fashion has changed the way that we think about clothes. It’s always best to recycle clothes and go to second-hand or thrift stores when looking for new clothing. The recent boom in secondhand clothing is reducing fashion’s impact on the planet and showing that secondhand shoppers are eco-conscious and savvy, not just “hipsters”!

Another way to increase awareness is through wearing activism Apparel by sustainable and zero-waste brands like Tiny Rescue. Check out the incredible Climate Change Collection!

Planet B Not Found Sweatshirt: Climate Change Collection by Tiny Rescue

There are so many great alternatives to all of these materials that don’t require anyone to lose their life. Check out apple leather, pineapple leather,  mushroom leather, fur alternatives, and lab-grown leather.

Sign this petition to demand major fashion brands like Prada, Versace, Armani, Michael Kors, Zara, H&M, Coach, Chanel, and more replace animal leather with plant-based alternatives!

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• Adidas and Stella McCartney Reveal New Vegan Football Shoes
• Stella McCartney’s Show at Paris Fashion Week Had a Bold Animal Rights Message
• Taylor Swift and Stella McCartney Launch Sustainable Fashion Line

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take the initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that are raising awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
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