STELLA McCartney spent her summer inside designing a collection for a year’s time. Usually, not much changes over a year but as we all know this year has been different and now the future is unpredictable. How we spent our individual lockdowns varied, but our shared goal, even today is freedom.
This notion is exactly what McCartney focused on when designing her spring-summer 2021 collection. Connecting the dots more than ever before between body, nature and art, the designer is turning a new leaf and revaluing what she wants her brand to stand for.
Stella McCartney has written an A to Z Manifesto that refocuses the core values that the brand is built upon, as well as making a conscious effort to be more sustainable than ever. The conclusion is the Stella woman is a woman of the future.
The SS21 collection is the first step in the brand’s aim to make luxury fashion more environmentally friendly by using 65 per cent sustainably sourced materials and repurposing archive fabrics to minimise waste.
With self-expression and freedom playing key roles for SS21, silhouettes are more experimental and cuts give sporty vibes both emphasising the body.
The colour palette plays at both ends of the spectrum, from rich vibrancy in hues of tangerine orange, peach and sky blue to more neutral tones overall creating a collection with something for everyone.
The collection seeks to celebrate both innovation and tradition. Referencing BMX detailing with ribbing and geometric prints that allude to sportswear mixed with cycling shorts and tight-fitting tops which are juxtaposed by traditional British tailoring and well-known fabrics such as wool and linen compiling a collection that is contemporary to its core.
Blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor, Stella presents Stellawear, a branch of her already incredibly established brand that fuses lingerie with swimwear – all made from Aquafil Econyl®, a regenerated nylon.
Yes, every inch of this new collection is deep seated in the Manifesto giving her customers luxury with no bad conscious!
The SS21 collection introduces a new footwear shape, the Daisy clog sandal. Of course, it’s vegan and made from sustainably sourced wood with cruelty free hardware. Fashion with no fuss – what more could you want?
The seasonal update of the much-loved Falabella, Logo and Hobo bags return in new tones of blue, yellow and green, but also sizes vary either reimagined as far smaller to accompany you on your daily routine, or large enough to be a beach bag.
The past season of shows have given us hope and a glimpse of the lifestyle we all so badly want back. Stella McCartney did exactly that but better. She showed us a greater future. One where luxury fashion and sustainability walk hand-in-hand.
If the collection taught us anything it was we can’t go back, we can only go forward.
by Imogen ClarkÂ