Fashion Designer Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney is a British fashion designer best known for her eponymous label. She was born in September 1971 to former Beatle Paul McCartney and musician, photographer  Linda McCartney, she spent her formative years travelling the world with her parents who, at the time, were both in the band Wings.

When she was 13  she started  to make her own clothes. Three years later she undertook an internship with Christian Lacroix, after which she completed an art foundation at Ravensbourne College and then a degree in fashion design at Central Saints Martins. After graduating, she shadowed Savile Row tailor Edward Sexton to learn more about the craft.

Stella is renowned for her sharp, simple tailoring with a feminine edge and considerate approach to wearable design. She says that It's not about what clothes  looks like in the studio or on the runway,It's what they looks like on a real person that matters. That isn't easy, but it's what's fun. Following in the footsteps of her mother Linda, she is a staunch supporter of animal rights and a strict vegetarian - she refuses to use leather or fur in any of her designs. Instead, her shoes are made of vinyl or plastic and all belts and bags are made from raffia and fabric.

Stella does use wool, silk, and other animal-derived fabrics in her designs.

Her graduation collection in 1995 was modelled by friends and supermodels Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon and Kate Moss – for free – at the graduation runway show. The collection was shown to a song penned by her famous father, called "Stella May Day."  The show made front-page news, and the entire collection was sold to Tokio, a London boutique. The designs were licensed to Browns, Joseph, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. In 1998, she designed her sister Mary's wedding dress for her wedding to television producer Alistair Donald.

In March 1997 McCartney was appointed Creative Director of Paris fashion house Chloé, following in the footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld.

In 2001, she launched her own fashion house under her name in a joint venture with Gucci Group (now the PPR Luxury Group) and showed her first collection in Paris.  Now she  operates 17 freestanding stores in locations including Manhattan’s Soho, London’s Mayfair, LA’s West Hollywood, Paris’ Palais Royal and Milan, and recently opened doors in Rome and Miami. Her collections are now distributed in over 50 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including specialty shops and department stores.

In 2003, she launched her first perfume, Stella.

In 2004, she designed clothes for Madonna's Re-Invention Tour, Annie Lennox's summer tour, and Gwyneth Paltrow's and Jude Law's costumes for the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

In 2005, she designed a range of clothing and accessories for H&M to boost public awareness of her own brand and to create more affordable options for her fans. The line was released in November of that year and sold out almost immediately on launch day in record time

In January 2007, McCartney launched a skincare line, CARE. The 100% organic line includes seven products, from a cleansing milk made with lemon balm and apricot to green tea and linden blossom floral water.

In 2008, she launched a new lingerie line.

In November 2010, the Stella McCartney Kids collection was launched for newborns and children up to age 12.

In June 2012, Stella McCartney personally invited the Soul Rebels Brass Band to perform at her 2013 spring fashion presentation hosted at the New York Marble Cemetery in New York City on June 11, 2012. Other special guests invited to the very private and exclusive party included Anne Hathaway, Jim Carrey, Anna Wintour, Annie Leibovitz, Lauren Hutton, Amy Poehler, Solange Knowles, P'Trique, Greta Gerwig and André Leon Talley.

"Stella McCartney" reads beneath the Adidas logo on this dress worn by Caroline Wozniacki at the 2010 US Open.

She also launched a joint-venture line with Adidas, establishing a long-term partnership with the corporation in September 2004. This line is a sports performance collection for women. The critically acclaimed sports performance collection “adidas by Stella McCartney,” has since successfully grown to include several athletic disciplines including running, gym, yoga, tennis, swimming, golf, winter sports and triathlon. In September 2010, Stella McCartney was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director for the 2012 Olympics by adidas – the first time in the history of the games that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a country’s team across all competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.