Stella McCartney says going with animal-free fashion is ‘important’

Stella McCartney says the move to animal-free fashion was “crucial” in her decision to stop using silk in her collection.

The designer, who is known for using mostly plant-based materials, spoke to him Plant-based news (PBN) co-founder Robbie Loki about the importance of vegan fashion at her recent Paris Fashion Week show.

McCartney currently has three garments made from silk, a non-vegan fiber produced by silkworms.

These worms naturally transform into moths, but are killed in the production process before they can transform. When they are 35 days old, they start spinning their cocoons which usually turn them into moths. When they do this, they secrete a liquid version of silk from their heads.

The cocoons are often thrown into boiling water to separate them, allowing the silk to be collected. This process kills the bugs. Worms can be killed by freezing, baking, and steaming.

McCartney said it was her “biggest goal” to stay away from silk. She added that she has a “hard deadline” to stop using the substance.

“Just last week I was reading something about plant-based silk that comes from plants in Morocco,” she added. “I’ll get it, and I’m going to use it, and that’ll be it.”

According to McCartney’s website, her collection uses a blend of traditional silk and peace silk. While the silkworms (which are actually caterpillars) are killed in the traditional process, the production of peace silk allows the insects to transform into moths and fly.

McCartney’s emphasis on plant-based materials

A vegetarian, McCartney has long preached the importance of consuming animal-free fibers. She recently launched a $200 million investment fund for eco-friendly businesses. Vegan leather brand Bolt Threads was one of the recipients.

In her summer 2023 collection, McCartney uses a leather alternative made from grapevines, as well as Mylo, a mushroom-based mycelium leather.

“What I’m trying to do with Stella is show people that you don’t have to make any sacrifices for sustainability and not killing animals,” he told Loki. “All the fake leather on that runway, no one can tell anymore.”

The designer discussed SlaughterA new documentary that exposes cruelty and greenwashing in the fashion industry. McCartney described it as “an amazing thing”, adding: “I’ve been doing this my whole life.” And the fact that we were able to make a documentary like this in 2022 is very real and exciting and frustrating.

Fashion away from animals

In recent years, awareness of the cruelty of using animals in fashion has grown.

While the hype around wool is widely known, most of the public has been slow to wake up to the reality behind materials like leather, which is commonly thought of as a “product” of the beef industry. (While this is often true, the leather industry itself is huge. It was estimated at $407.92 billion in 2021.)

In the year In 2018, Helsinki Fashion Week announced that it would ban animal-based leather from airlines. One of the first shows of this year’s London Fashion Week featured an all-vegan collection featuring cactus skin.

In the past few years, there has been an influx of sustainable leather options used by top designers including Hermes and Tommy Hilfiger.

Many brands have rejected animal-derived materials such as mohair, exotic animal skins and angora. And Stella McCartney isn’t alone in shying away from silk. In the year In 2018, ASOS announced that it would eliminate silk, as well as cashmere, down and feathers from all collections.