British designer Stella McCartney expressed her concerns about the fashion industry’s impact on wildlife following her Paris show on Monday.
She highlighted the “billions of birds” killed for fashion, urging the industry to change its practices.
Her show was provocatively titled “It’s about… time,” referencing a T-shirt she wore 25 years ago advocating for an end to fur and feather use in fashion.
“I see things from a different perspective,” McCartney stated after her open-air show near the Eiffel Tower, which featured high-end looks crafted from materials like lentils and mushroom leather.
“I’ve just been thinking about the billions of birds killed for the fashion industry,” she said, noting that “for me, they represent freedom, purity, and peace.”
As the daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and animal rights activist Linda McCartney, she serves as an advisor on sustainability to Bernard Arnault, the head of LVMH, which also holds a stake in her label.
Bird motifs were prominent in McCartney’s spring-summer collection, where she blended her signature business suits—this season featuring oversized cuts with big shoulders—with sheer blouses and dresses.
“It’s about having a lightness of touch, having that femininity in that flight—a general kind of weightlessness,”
she explained, balancing the “masculinity” of some cuts.
Her collection included metallic bras shaped like birds and glamorous puff evening dresses made from recycled plastic bottle tops. Other pieces incorporated “apple leather,” created from waste in the apple industry.
A lifelong vegetarian, McCartney has long advocated that “sustainability is the future of fashion, not just a trend.” Her brand is recognized for its innovation and transparency alongside its stylish offerings.
The fashion industry faces ongoing criticism for its environmental impact, with some brands accused of greenwashing—making misleading claims about their sustainability efforts. Recently, animal rights activists briefly disrupted the Hermes Paris Fashion Week show, highlighting concerns over the use of leather goods by luxury brands.
Several notable Hollywood figures attended McCartney’s show, including Barbie director Greta Gerwig, actress Natalie Portman, and singer-songwriter Hayley Williams, who made a bold statement by wearing a minimal outfit that primarily consisted of her underwear.