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Stella McCartney | |
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.jpg) McCartney in 2014 | |
| Born | Stella Nina McCartney (1971-09-13)13 September 1971 (age 54) Camberwell,London, England |
| Education | Ravensbourne University London |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Mary McCartney (sister) James McCartney (brother) Heather McCartney (maternal half-sister) Beatrice McCartney (paternal half-sister) Mike McCartney (paternal uncle) |
Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an Englishfashion designer. She is a daughter of English singer-songwriterPaul McCartney and American photographer andanimal rights activistLinda McCartney.[1] Like her parents, McCartney is a supporter of animal rights and environmentalism, and uses vegetarian and animal-free alternatives in her work. Since 2005, she has designed an activewear collection forAdidas.
Stella Nina McCartney was born on 13 September 1971 atKing's College Hospital inDenmark Hill,Camberwell,London.[2] She was named after her maternal great‑grandmothers, both of whom were called Stella. Her mother, Linda Eastman McCartney, was of Jewish ancestry.[3][4][5] As a child, McCartney travelled internationally with her parents and their bandWings, alongside her siblings: older half-sisterHeather, who was legally adopted by Paul; older sisterMary; and younger brotherJames. According to her father, the band's name was inspired by Stella's difficult delivery.[6] While she was being born by emergencycaesarean section, Paul waited outside the operating theatre and prayed that she would arrive "on the wings of an angel".[6]
Despite their public profile, the McCartneys sought to give their children as ordinary an upbringing as possible. Stella and her siblings therefore attended local state schools inEast Sussex, includingBexhill College. McCartney has said that she experiencedbullying while at state school,[7] and has also acknowledged that she had bullied others.[8]
McCartney became interested in clothing design at a young age. At 13, she created her first jacket. Three years later, she undertook an internship withChristian Lacroix, contributing to her firsthaute couture collection, and subsequently refined her skills while working forEdward Sexton, her father'sSavile Row tailor, for several years.
She completed her foundation studies atRavensbourne College of Design and Communication, nowRavensbourne University London, before studying fashion design atCentral Saint Martins in the early 1990s, graduating in 1995. Her graduation collection was modelled without fee by friends and supermodelsNaomi Campbell,Yasmin Le Bon, andKate Moss, at the college's runway show, which was presented to a song written especially for the occasion by her father, "Stella May Day".[9]
A lifelong vegetarian, McCartney uses no leather or fur in her designs. In 2015,The Guardian described her as a "consistent and vocal" supporter ofanimal rights.[10][11] Several of her designs feature text that reinforces her "no animal" policy; oneAdidas jacket includes a sleeve printed with "suitable for sporty vegetarians". A pair of her vinyl andultrasuede boots was marketed asvegan-friendly, although her reliance on oil-based synthetics still prompted ecological concerns.[12]
In 1997, McCartney was named creative director ofChloé,[13] a position she held until 2001. That year, she launched her eponymousfashion house in a joint venture with theGucci Group (nowKering) and presented her first collection in Paris. She now operates 51 freestanding stores in locations including Manhattan's Soho, London's Mayfair, LA's West Hollywood, Paris's Palais Royal, Barcelona's Passeig de Gracia, Milan, Rome, Miami and Houston, among others.[14]
In 2003, McCartney launched her first perfume,Stella. In January 2007, she introduced a 100% organic skincare line, CARE, comprising seven products ranging from a cleansing milk made with lemon balm and apricot to a floral water containinggreen tea andlinden blossom.[15] In 2008, she launched a lingerie line with theBendon Group,[16] followed in November 2010 by the Stella McCartney Kids collection for newborns and children up to age 12.[17]
In June 2012, McCartney invited theSoul Rebels Brass Band to perform at her 2013 spring presentation at theNew York Marble Cemetery. Guests includedAnne Hathaway,Jim Carrey,Anna Wintour,Annie Leibovitz,Lauren Hutton,Amy Poehler,Solange Knowles, P'Trique,Greta Gerwig andAndré Leon Talley. Also in 2012, she contributed toThe Sustainable Fashion Handbook.[18] In November 2016, she launched her first menswear collection, featuringathleisure andpyjama-inspired casual pieces;[19] she citedher father and the comedianJethro as influences.[20]
In April 2018, after 17 years of partnership with Kering, McCartney purchased its stake in her company and assumed full control of her global fashion house.[21] The following year, she entered a strategic partnership withLVMH.[22] She designed the wedding‑reception dress worn byMeghan Markle and later created 46 replicas for her "Made With Love" capsule collection, each priced at £3,500.[23]
On 15 October 2018, McCartney launched the Stella McCartney Cares Foundation, a breast‑cancer charity established in memory of her mother, Linda, who died in 1998. The foundation aimed to donate 1,000 Louis Listening post‑operative mastectomy compression bras to women undergoing treatment.[24] On 21 November 2021, she released "The Beatles: Get Back", a collection inspired by the Beatles. In 2023, she performed a spoken-word piece at theCoronation Concert forCharles III andCamilla.[25] In January 2025, McCartney repurchased LVMH's shares in her label.[26]
McCartney launched a joint-venture line withAdidas in September 2004, establishing a long‑term partnership with the corporation. The collaboration produced a women's sports‑performance collection.[27] In January 2010, she announced a jewellery collaboration withDisney inspired byAlice in Wonderland.[28] In July that year, working withPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and eco-designer Atom cianfarani, McCartney petitioned the BritishMinistry of Defence to end the use of Canadian black bears for the fur on the guards' hats; the military has yet to make the change.[29]
In July 2011, McCartney appeared on the catwalk atThe Brandery fashion show inBarcelona.[30] In December 2018, she announced the launch of a new fashion-industry charter forclimate action, created in collaboration with theUnited Nations to encourage sustainable business practices.[31] In August 2019, American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift partnered with McCartney on a fashion line inspired by Swift's seventh studio album,Lover, released under the title "Stella X Taylor Swift".[32]
In September 2010, McCartney was appointed Team GB's Creative Director for the2012 Olympics by Adidas – the first time in the Games' history that a leading fashion designer created the apparel for a country's athletes across all competitions for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.[33] The Team GB kit was publicly unveiled in March 2012.[33] McCartney continued in this role for the2016 Summer Olympics.[34]
McCartney married British publisher Alasdhair Willis on 30 August 2003 atMount Stuart House on theIsle of Bute. Her wedding dress was an updated version of the dress worn by her mother in 1969.[35] The couple have four children.[36] Her children later appeared with her on the cover ofVogue.[37] Willis was named creative director of Adidas in March 2022.[38]
McCartney has a youngerhalf-sister, born in 2003 to her father and his second wife,Heather Mills.[39] In 2018, McCartney said: "When my mum died, Dad, my brother and I went to see theMaharishi... I had quite a reaction that I didn't feel in control of. I possibly suppressed my emotions and I started having panic attacks, physical reactions to that loss." She added thattranscendental meditation made an almost immediate difference to her ability to cope, stating: "It really did help me at a time when I really needed some help."[40] In 2023, McCartney's plan to build a house in a remote part of Scotland, which involved cutting down trees, received more than 50 objections to the local council, many on environmental grounds.[41]
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McCartney received theVH1/Vogue Designer of the Year award in 2000 in New York. Her father Paul presented the award to her; she thanked him in her acceptance speech and dedicated the award to her late mother Linda.[42] This was followed by the Woman of Courage Award for work against cancer at the prestigious Unforgettable Evening event (2003, Los Angeles), theGlamour Award for Best Designer of the Year (2004, London), the Star Honoree at the Fashion Group International Night of the Stars (2004, New York), the Organic Style Woman of the Year Award (2005, New York), theElle Style Award for Best Designer of the Year Award (2007, London), Best Designer of the Year at the British Style Awards (2007, London), Best Designer of The Year at the Spanish Elle Awards (2008, Barcelona), and the Green Designer of the Year at the ACE Awards (2008, New York).
In 2009, she was honoured by the NRDC, featured in theTime 100 and recognised asGlamour Woman of the Year. In November 2011, she was presented with the Red Carpet Award by the British Fashion Council; and in the 2013 New Year Honours, she was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to fashion.[43][44] In 2012, McCartney was among theBritish cultural icons selected by artist SirPeter Blake to appear in a new version of his artwork – the album cover for The Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life that he most admires.[45] The same year, McCartney won the 'Designer of the Year' and the 'Designer Brand' awards at theFashion Awards.[46]
In February 2013 she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom byWoman's Hour onBBC Radio 4.[47] In June 2017, McCartney appeared onBBC Radio 4'sDesert Island Discs, selecting "Road to Nowhere" byTalking Heads and "Blackbird" bythe Beatles, and her favourite "God Only Knows" bythe Beach Boys.[48] She would later receive the Special Recognition Award for Innovation at the 2017 Fashion Awards[49] She was appointedCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2022 Birthday Honours in recognition of her services to fashion and sustainability.[50][51][52] In 2024, PETA named McCartney their "Person of the Year," citing her work as a designer to "embrace creative, animal-friendly materials."[53]
Vegan cookery
The seeds were sown in my personal life, then they came into my business life
I didn't want to part with money for it. But, you know, it's probably the best investment I ever made
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