The Stella McCartney brand is now synonymous with eco fashion. It was the first luxury fashion brand is anti leather and fur, and the first to design fashion that is both effortlessly chic and environmentally friendly. Prior to the launch of the brand, the only environmentally sustainable and ethical clothing on the market was not aesthetically pleasing to the fashion crowd.
While the brand has been a huge success, it is questionable if it really is an ethical luxury fashion brand.
Although Stella McCartney campaigns for animal rights, the company that owns the brand (PPR Luxury Group), endorses the use of fur in many of its other fashion brands including Gucci. Thus the Stella McCartney company is connected to a ring of brands that conflict with her morals, yet she still claims her brand to be ethical.
The collaborations she has/is involved in; including a partnership with Adidas, a collection for H&M, Gap, Target and Bendon, which all are fast fashion brands that sanctum cheap labor in underprivileged Asian countries, and therefore sweatshop manufacturing practices to produce garments.
Stella McCartney choices to work with companies that are unethical and un-sustainable questions her own commitment to ethics and sustainability.
Fashion is about change, but you can have that and still be conscious. The important thing is that Stella McCartney is doing something to make a difference.
Making a bag out of faux leather, and not using fur, may not stop global warming, but it is a small step in the right direction.
As Stella McCartney said
“I’m a big believer in that just doing a little something, is a lot better than doing a lot of nothing”
Hopefully the success of the brand will influence other luxury fashion houses to make changes towards a sustainable and ethical fashion future.
Stella McCartney over the past years has worked with other companies including Target and Adidas (infamous for its sweatshop manufacturing), alike H&M, both are fast fashion brands that are associated with unethical and un-stainable practices.
Which calls into question Stella McCartney’s own commitments to ethics and sustainability.
She may refuse to use leather and fur, and is a spokesperson for PETA, but what about human rights, by working with companies that manufacture their goods in sweatshop conditions, you too are allowing this unethical and inhuman practice to thrive.
How can the company claim to be ethical if it works with other companies that are not in the slightest!