Stella McCartney unveiled her latest collection online a few days ago, and followed up with a Stella McCartney Winter 2021 Conference with global press.
She opened her virtual conference with a show video shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott in the Tanks at Tate Modern in London. The Tanks, with their gray concrete and brutalist feel, were a fitting backdrop to this vitamin boost of a collection, which drew on glam rock, cyber space and psychedelia in color, proportion, shape and texture.
For Fall/Winter 2021, Stella McCartney was tapping into the prospect of – and hope for – “a new beginning”. “There was light and there will be light at the end of the tunnel”. That optimism is the driving force behind a really colorful, richly textured Fall/Winter 2021 line that makes you want to go out dancing (when it’s safe, of course).
In other words, expect feel-good pops of colour (think: cobalt, fuchsia, and kelly green) worn alongside psychedelic prints inspired by London club culture. If McCartney has her way, long gone are the days of comfy sweatsuits. Instead, the designer created statement partywear: flashes of skin are exposed in knit sets, dresses are decidedly short and body-conscious, and glitter is on full display. Even more everyday pieces – midi skirts; stretchy knits; menswear-inspired outerwear – come with an eccentric edge.
And then there was also the sustainability of which Stella has been a pioneer since the birth of the brand. For Fall/Winter 2021, 77% of the collection was made with sustainable materials – including coats and tailored garments created using wool from farms selected for their excellent regulations on animal welfare and regenerative agricultural practices especially for what concerns organic cotton. Stella has also recently launched MYLO , a fiber obtained from the matrix of funchi, the mycelium, and which she patented in view of the launch of this collection to replace it with vegan leather. For the designer, in fact, sustainability rhymes with technology, and her team is constantly engaged in the search for less polluting alternative materials, with less waste and harmful emissions for the environment.