Stella McCartney Shares Her Hopes For A More Sustainable Fashion Industry In 2023

That’s one of the reasons that McCartney has teamed up with innovators that are developing more sustainable materials, including Econyl – regenerated nylon created from discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste. This month, the brand is launching its first commercially available, fully circular garment: a parka made from Econyl that’s 100 per cent recycled and recyclable. McCartney previously launched an Infinite Hoodie made using NuCyl – a fibre that’s 100 per cent post-consumer waste – with Adidas in 2019, but only 50 were available at the time. 

“The parka fully closes the loop – it’s taking 100 per cent waste and then [when you’re finished with it] you can either bring it back to a Stella McCartney store or you can use the QR code on there and post it, and we can then recycle it back into fibre and make it into another garment,” McCartney explains. “It’s really cool – for me it’s cooler than just going, ‘Oh, I really love neon green fuzzy boots this season.’ It’s the most fashionable thing you can do if you’re working in the world of fashion right now.” 

Alongside Econyl, McCartney has partnered with the likes of Bolt Threads on its Mylo “un-leather”, made from mushroom roots (the designer was part of an early “consortium” of brands backing the company) and Vegea, another leather alternative made from grape waste. Meanwhile, McCartney has also helped set up a new $200 million (£165 million) fund called Collab SOS, which invests in companies such as Bolt Threads, as well as Natural Fiber Welding, which has created a plastic-free leather alternative called Mirum, and Protein Evolution, a start-up that has developed a process designed to allow plastic waste (including nylon and polyester) to be infinitely recycled.

“It’s important for me personally to put investment into those new start-ups and into the future of fashion because I’m in fashion,” McCartney says of her involvement in the fund. “I’m working every day alongside so many incredible tech brands. We’re working in developing materials together and solutions, and then I’m bringing them into a business model. For me to use my partners [and] my contacts to upscale everything [via the fund], then you can truly see a meaningful change.”