Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney definitely knows what she wants and how to get it. In few years only she proved herself as one of the most searched for designers and that’s not only because of her famous family name. Undoubtedly she is both very talented and lucky – a combination that leads her to the successful achievement of her long-looked-for goals.

The young designer is born in 1971 in the family of the legendary Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney. The artistic family (Linda is a photographer) put its mark on little Stella. She grew up in the beautiful, rainy London where she also got her education. As a young girl, she travelled across the globe with her famous parents during the tours of Paul’s band “Wings”. It turns out that the name of Wings was inspired by Stella's birth. The future designer’s birth was a difficult one and as the worried father sat outside the operating room, he prayed that she be born "on the wings of an angel”. His prayers were heard.

Stella McCartney became interested designing clothes at age 12, when she made her first jacket and later, at the age of only 15 she interned for the famous Christian Lacroix. Young McCartney graduated the famous Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design – an institution that pushed the career of many famous world wide designers. Fate smiled upon Stella on her graduation and keeps on smiling ever since. Her graduation collection was licensed to the famous store chains Browns, Joseph and Neiman Marcus which gave her the exceptional opportunity to create her own line. The big opportunity that thousands of beginning designers dream of came to her as naturally as breathing. The first collection of McCartney’s heiress was a perfect combination between an elegant pattern, distinctive femininity and an implication of her innovatory ideas.

Only two years after her graduation, in 1997 Stella was appointed chief designer of the fashion house Chloé in the beautiful Paris. For some time she exchanged the English coldness for the French tender romance. That change also affected her creative work concepts which showed more boldness and frivolity at that time, not typical of her until then. Stella’s career was yet to rise to a higher level and not only the customers but also the critical fashion journalists expressed a high opinion of the sales and the successful advertisement campaign of Chloé.

To the top
After three-year experience the young designer launched her own fashion house which was not a surprise to anyone. She showed her first independent collection in Paris and it became a real triumph. Besides women‘s clothing, her collection included many accessories under her brand name as well as an elegant perfume - “Stella,” launched successfully in 2003. Her first flagship store was not in her beloved London but in Manhattan. The capital of the old continent became the second location of her stores but Stella didn’t stop there. Today she owns stores all around the world and her collections are now distributed in over 40 countries. The great number of awards she won through the years is a result of her continuous hard work. One of the most esteemed of them is the one from the British Fashion Academy, pronouncing her the best young designer.
Young Stella McCartney gradually became a favorite designer of the stars from showbiz. Among her popular clients stand out the names of Madonna, Annie Lennox, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law. She designs not only their everyday clothes but also their on-stage costumes.

Stella’s rebellion
One of the things Stella can’t put up with is the use of fur or leather in the design of clothing and accessories. She always supports the protests against the use of fur. Being a strict vegetarian, she’s definitely into the healthy and nature-friendly way of life. Another thing she’s deeply involved in, is the debate of models’ weight. Many representatives of the fashion industry declared they’re against the anorectic look of the models but Stella went far ahead of them by refusing to work with models which size is less than 38. She’s the first one from her compatriots that decided to make such a big step and proved that she can promptly put her words into action. This year the young and ambitious designer introduced her own line skincare products, formulated with 100 percent organic active ingredients and zero percent petrochemicals, silicones or components of animal origin. In Stella’s own words “This skincare has to give your skin everything it needs, and nothing it doesn't.” The moisturizing cream, purifying foaming cleanser and the tonic floral water are suitable for everyone – both men and women. It’s another way for Stella to express her firm stand on environment-friendly products and responsible approach to nature.

A perfect combination
By her successful collaborations with big names and brands in the fashion business, Stella is drawing big dividends. She designed hand-made T-shirts with Gary Hum for the benefit of RAWA. Later, in cooperation with the famous cartoonist Robert Crumb, she created a limited line clothes and accessories with the signs Lips, Stream and Pink Bow. That shows a different side of Stella McCartney who generally prefers the classy and elegant vision but also surprises her fans with something eccentric and fresh. It’s exactly the youthful passion of the different that she shows in the sports performance collections for Adidas by Stella McCartney. The latest but we hope not last cooperation of the English designer is the one with the well known store chain H&M. The line that she created for them is more than successful and welcomed by the costumers and even by the fashion critics.

Inspired by sport
The cooperation between Stella McCartney and the sport giant Adidas is one of the most successful tandems of the last few years and their teamwork doesn’t lose its great popularity. The spring/summer 2007 collection included designs, created especially for Yoga and other modern sports lovers. The fact that we work out in the gym doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look good. The actuality of Yoga exercises and the art of dance inspire the designer to create a new vision of the sporty young woman. The silhouette adds a dose of sex appeal, the colors are vivid and elegant and fabrics – light and pleasant. The accent is more on the sport theme rather than the modern chic but in spite of that the designs have many of the classical distinguishing marks of her lines – like the feminine gofers for example. They are extremely suitable for the lovers of the elegant clothing who have difficulties choosing their sports wear. As a result of that successful cooperation both sides get their benefits – Adidas achieved a thousands dollars profit while Stella releases her collections not in 40 but in 450 stores around the world.