It’s no secret that Stella McCartney is one of the most outspoken vegans and animal lovers in fashion. She takes pride in the fact that her brand has never worked with leather, fur, skins, feathers or animal glues since its launch in 2001. Her fall 2020 runway collection, showcased this week at Paris Fashion Week, took things to the next level.
The digital invite to her runway included a gif of animals, with the slogan “Make love not leather.” Arriving at the show, guests were greeted by people in animal costumes, the kind a sports team mascot might wear. There was a squirrel, an alligator, a pony, a black and white cow and other assorted fuzzy creatures — which then popped up again on the runway, reinterpreted in graphic yet simple shapes on the jewelry featured in the collection. Delightfully, the animals took a turn on the runway as well, joining the models for the finale walk and in some cases, completely stealing the spotlight by dancing along with the music.
Responsible fashion has been Stella McCartney’s USP since day one, which is what makes the brand so endearing. It sadly throws light on the bubble within which fashion in Pakistan is created; it’s a bubble that serves disposable and often unappealing clothes to consumers without a cause or purpose in sight. With the abundance of causes to take up, one would hope that we’d have even a single brand to be as relevant in this age of countless crises.
