Stella Performance

MCCARTNEY'S SPRING 2023 COLLECTION IS MORE THAN A NOD TO NATURE

Stella McCartney has just released her most sustainable fashion collection yet, featuring native keystone species inspired by the pioneering Rewilding project at Knepp in West Sussex. It's described by McCartney as being "Inspired by rewilding, a conservation theory rooted in reinstating natural processes allowing ecosystems to rebalance themselves, as well as restoring wildlife without disturbance ... My spring 2023 is all about restoration, inspired by rewilding the planet around us and rechilding the child within."

Composed of 85% 'conscious' materials, painted with mood-lifting brightly coloured flowers and birds (including goldfinch, woodpecker and kingfisher), the fabrics also portray hand-drawn prints of deer, hedgehogs, badgers, hare and lynx. The European Lynx became extinct in the UK and hasn't been re-introduced at Knepp, but there are three in a large enclosure on farmer and author Derek Gow's land in Devon and Stella has recently employed his services to help her to improve biodiversity and rewild the land on her own farm in Worcestershire. There are also tiger prints and ocelot spots in the collection, with a recognition of the pressures, such as habitat loss, that other creatures are facing worldwide.

As well as the concept of rewilding and living in harmony with nature, there's a nod to the innocence of childhood in the collection and our own 'wildness of spirit' which she terms 'rechilding'. Fun mini-dresses combined with Stella's masculine tailoring and longer fluid shapes with petal-like cut outs complement barely there strappy dresses in poppy red and lily white whilst iconic animal prints on organic cotton denim, "invite the wearer to discover their wild sides". All pieces are as sustainable as possible and free from animal leather, feather and fur with the collection using plant-based denim, organic cotton, recycled polyester, forest-friendly viscose, PVC-free sequins and grape waste leather, the latter used for accessories such as bags and trainers.

"Expressing a love and respect for animals, my Spring 2023 collection is inspired by living in harmony with the creatures with which we share Mother Earth." said Stella. "By protecting and, eventually, expanding woodlands across the country, we can increase carbon storage and sequestering, enabling a more diverse range of wildlife to establish. Key to this concept is bringing back missing species to rebuild the chain and relationships between species ..."

You can view the entire collection in-store or online HERE.