Country of Birth
UK
Industry
Fashion
Top Achievements
Stella McCartney is a multi-award-winning English fashion designer and a firm supporter of animal rights and environmentalism. She is particularly known for her cruelty-free ethos and dedication to the environment, as well as for her celebrity-studded clientele.
Early Life and Education
Stella Nina McCartney was born on September 13, 1971, in London, England. From an early age, she was interested in designing clothes. In her teenage years she worked at the French couture house Christian Lacroix in Paris and as an intern at British Vogue. After a foundation course at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication she enrolled at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, London, to study fashion design. After graduating in 1995, she quickly rose to the forefront of the international fashion world.
Early Career
Aged just 25, McCartney was hired as creative director by the Vendôme Luxury Group in 1997 to revitalize its 45-year-old design label, Chloé. She held this position until 2001 when she left Chloé to launch a fashion house under her own name in a joint venture with the Italian luxury goods conglomerate, Gucci (now Kering). In 2003, McCartney released her first perfume, Stella, followed by a vegan and cruelty-free 100% organic skincare line, CARE (now Stella McCartney Beauty), in 2007 and a sustainable evening wear line, the Stella McCartney Green Carpet Collection, in 2014.
Achievements in Her Field
In 2018, McCartney purchased Kering’s 50% stake in her company and took full control of her global fashion empire. In the same year she designed Meghan Markle’s wedding reception dress and later created 46 replicas of it for her “Made With Love” capsule collection.
Today, Stella McCartney has 48 directly owned stores and 21 franchise stores across the world. Her collections are sold in 77 nations through 863 specialty shops and department stores and shipped to 100 countries via online sales.
A lifelong vegetarian and environmentalist, McCartney has never used leather, fur, feathers, plastics or PVC in any of her designs. She is particularly known for her use of vegan and animal-free alternatives in her work, as well as her dedication to social responsibility and sustainability through material and supply chain innovation.
Recognition
Among many accolades in her field, McCartney has received Best Designer of the Year awards from VH1/Vogue (2000), Glamour (2004), Elle (2007), and the British Style Awards (2007).
In recognition of her services to fashion and sustainability, McCartney was awarded an OBE, Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2013 and a CBE, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, in 2023.
Additional Facts
- In 2018, McCartney launched the Stella McCartney Cares Foundation, a non-profit charity platform devoted to dually supporting sustainability and breast cancer awareness, two causes especially close to her heart.
- In January 2020, McCartney became the first fashion designer ever to appear on the cover of Vogue USA.
- She is the daughter of British singer-songwriter, Paul McCartney, and the late American photographer and animal rights activist, Linda Eastman McCartney.
- McCartney employs a workforce of 80% women in her company.
