March 11th, 2019 by Samantha Furno Sustainably Stylish: Stella’s McCartney’s Showcase in Review
Paris Fashion Week 2019 was full of everything you could have possibly imagined. Gorgeous designs, amazing venues and celebrities galore, but did you hear about how Stella McCartney’s latest collection featured ‘upcycled’ designs?!
(Invitation to the AW19 show)
Stella McCartney, is no stranger to the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry. Both as a designer and an activist, Stella has been transparent since the very beginning about her label’s practices and she has continuously been on a mission to reduce her company’s environmental footprint. This past week, Stella highlighted the importance of environmental impact yet again by making the act of ‘upcycling’ the star of her AW19 showcase at Paris Fashion Week!
Prior to her show, Stella McCartney launched a campaign, ‘There She Grows,’ in an effort to raise public consciousness about the endangered Leuser Ecosystem in Indonesia and to encourage donations for the cause. Celebrities and other strong social media players shared the campaign with their followers the week leading up to the AW19 debut, in an effort to start the conversation about the endangered region and on the runway itself, Stella made sure the conversation would come full circle through her ‘upcycled,’ hi-fashion designs.
The act of ‘upcycling’ involves taking old materials and creating something new with them. Stella worked with legendary fiber-artist, Sheila Hicks, to use second hand t-shirts that would have otherwise been sent to landfills, as materials to create eye-catching weaved knits that mesmerized the audience. In addition to using second-hand materials, she also used her own dead stock fabric from past collections as a way of reducing personal waste. Additionally, Stella partnered with Hunter boots and created versions of their iconic boot silhouette made from sustainable, natural rubber that completed her runway looks.
The bold hues and strong silhouettes that adorned the Stella McCartney runway were truly an ode to the Stella herself; beautiful, creative and innovative. However, more important than this beautiful collection, is the effort to bring sustainable fashion into the limelight at the biggest fashion event in the world. Stella has secured a seat as a pioneer in the world of sustainability and it is exciting to see other movers and shakers of the fashion industry making an effort to be more sustainable and focus on the environment, one collection at a time.
What do you think of Stella McCartney’s AW19 theme? Personally, I find it incredibly inspiring and it sure makes me want to reduce, reuse and recycle when it comes to my wardrobe. Crossroads is the perfect place to start your sustainable fashion journey. Rather than tossing out old clothing that could very well end up at a landfill, you can sell your gently-worn items for trade or cash in store.
You never know when someone will fall in love with a style you’ve decided to part with and that style will become someone else’s #Crossroadsfinds!
