Think about the extraordinary life of a child of Paul McCartney. In spite of the fame and prestige and fabulous wealth, the daughter grew up to be a change agent in the world of fashion. And nothing is more difficult than that in an industry known to be brutal to say the least.

Stella McCartney

Yet Stella McCartney has held to her beliefs and values to preserve and protect the environment, animal welfare, and the quality of life for fashion industry workers. And this young woman is making a huge difference in the business of fashion.

 

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Stella McCartney has successfully built the first significant global fashion brand completely committed to sustainability. According to the Business of Fashion, “In January of this year, the Stella McCartney business was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, a prestigious honour reserved for companies employing innovative business models that the world’s top business students can learn from.”

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Founded in 2001, the industry panned her designs and her “childish” commitment to sustainability. Furthermore, “adhering to McCartney’s deeply held values made it even harder for the business to scale and turn a profit.” But she persevered and fifteen years later, she continues to search for alternatives to leather for her bags and shoes.

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McCartney said, “We all know that the majority of luxury brands are driven by accessories. They don’t sell ready-to-wear. You walk into any major brand’s store and you will find two rails of ready-to-wear and the rest is bags, shoes and small leather goods. That’s what pays their wages.” In fact, this year, Gucci earned 73% of their revenues from leather goods and Bottega Veneta earned 93 %.

McCartney believes the next generation of consumers will hear her message and will buy more thoughtfully. Our hats are off to her for her commitment to sustainability and for being an agent of change:

https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/voices/discussions/can-fashion-industry-become-sustainable/stella-mccartney-change-agent