Stella McCartney
Founder and creative director of Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney is a British designer who founded her eponymous luxury house in 2001 and leads it as creative director. She is one of the most prominent advocates of sustainable and animal free fashion and has used her brand to bring new materials such as mycelium and plant based leather alternatives to luxury products.
| Role | Founder and creative director, Stella McCartney |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 |
| Previous role | Creative director of Chloé (1997 to 2001) |
| Key partnership | Adidas since 2004 |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Animal free, sustainable luxury |
Who is Stella McCartney?
Stella McCartney is a British fashion designer and the founder and creative director of Stella McCartney, a luxury brand launched in 2001. Her house does not use leather or fur, and she is widely regarded as one of the leading voices for sustainability in the fashion industry.
Career
After graduating from Central Saint Martins, McCartney became creative director of Chloé in Paris in 1997, a post she held until 2001. She then launched her own label as a joint venture with the Gucci Group, later Kering. In 2018 she bought out Kering's 50 percent stake to take full control of the company, and in 2019 she entered a strategic partnership with LVMH, which took a minority stake. In January 2025 she bought back LVMH's minority stake to regain full ownership, while continuing to advise Bernard Arnault and LVMH's executive team on sustainability.
Her brand has expanded from womenswear into fragrance, lingerie, childrenswear and menswear. Since 2004 she has worked with Adidas on women's performance sportswear, and she served as creative director for Team GB's kit at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
- 1997 to 2001: creative director of Chloé
- 2001: launch of Stella McCartney with the Gucci Group
- 2004: start of the Adidas partnership
- 2018: full control after buying Kering's stake
- 2019: strategic partnership with LVMH
- 2025: buys back LVMH's minority stake
Stella McCartney and technology
Materials innovation is central to the brand. Stella McCartney has worked with Bolt Threads on Mylo, a leather alternative made from mycelium, the root structure of fungi, and debuted the fungi based textile Hydefy in its Ryder bag at the summer 2025 show. The brand also uses grape based VEGEA, apple waste based UPPEAL, banana fibre Bananatex and regenerative cotton, positioning itself as a testing ground for next generation materials in luxury.
Influence on the fashion business
McCartney argued for animal free luxury long before sustainability became a mainstream strategic topic. Her willingness to pilot new materials at scale has helped start ups bring them to market, and her partnerships with large groups have shown how an independent, values led brand can collaborate with conglomerates while retaining control of its direction.
Why it matters
As regulation and consumer expectations push fashion towards lower impact products, McCartney's brand offers a reference for how material choices, supply chain transparency and storytelling can be integrated into a luxury proposition. For the wider industry she remains a benchmark for translating sustainability commitments into product.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Stella McCartney?
Stella McCartney is a British designer who founded her luxury fashion house in 2001 and is its creative director. She was previously creative director of Chloé and is known for sustainable, animal free fashion.
What materials does Stella McCartney use instead of leather?
The brand uses alternatives such as Mylo, a mycelium based material developed with Bolt Threads, the fungi based textile Hydefy, grape based VEGEA and apple waste based UPPEAL. It does not use leather or fur.