Stella McCartney’s collaboration with H&M, which includes a selection of her most popular designs, is driven by her desire to make her work more accessible. As McCartney explains, “I’m not an elitist designer, and I’ve always really struggled with the fact that the majority of people who love my stuff can’t get my stuff because of the price point.” Her enthusiasm for working with larger fashion houses, facilitated by partnerships with luxury giants, stems from the opportunity to apply her brand’s principles on a larger scale. McCartney states, “Obviously, when you’re working with the finest materials, you’re working with innovators, you’re growing mushrooms in labs, the price points are higher. But my goal is to infiltrate from within, and to show people that they can work this way. Why do you think I went into bed with Kering and LVMH? It’s like, if I can do this, you can do it. I feel like I’m almost like a research lab to show people that you can do this, at every level.”
According to Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s top creative advisor, the remarkable attention to detail in ensuring each piece is responsibly made stands out. As she reviews the clothing racks before McCartney’s arrival, Johansson highlights the labels attached to each garment, detailing the use of organic cotton and silk, circular viscose, wool from farms practicing strict animal welfare, and textiles from recycled sources. “We have a third-party certification on many of them, so it’s not like we’re just saying it,” Johansson comments. “We work with a whole range of different outside organizations for that.”
Photo: Sam Rock / Courtesy of H&M
Photo: Sam Rock / Courtesy of H&M
While some may argue that H&M’s business model conflicts with sustainability, the company’s commitment to eco-friendly practices is commendable, especially as other brands retreat from such efforts. In conjunction with their partnership with McCartney, H&M is establishing an Insights Board to promote discussions on sustainability. By 2030, the retailer aims to utilize 100% recycled or sustainably sourced materials. Johansson explains, “We have some tough goals, but we’re continuing with our goals in a very transparent way, and we’re trying to make it as big as possible.” She adds that while some initiatives are challenging to expand, they can be incorporated into more extensive collections over time.
McCartney views this collaboration as a chance to initiate a discussion about improving fast fashion. “The reason for me to do it is to go, okay, let’s start a conversation,” she says. “Yes, this is fast fashion: it’s not perfect. Often, it’s shit, but we can make it less shit—sorry for my language. We can make positive progress. It can be better. That makes me so excited.”
