That’s why McCartney has partnered with innovators developing more sustainable materials, including Econyl – a recycled nylon created from discarded fishing nets and other plastic waste. This month, the brand launched its first commercially available all-round garment: a parka made from Ekonyl that is 100 percent recycled and recyclable. McCartney previously launched an Infinite Hoodie made using Nusil – 100 percent post-consumer waste fiber – with Adidas in 2019, but only 50 were available at the time.
“The park completely closes the loop – 100 percent of the waste and then takes it away [when you’re finished with it] You can bring it back to the Stella McCartney store or use the QR code on there to post it, and we can recycle it back into fiber and use it to make another garment,” explains McCartney. “It’s great — it’s cool for me to just go, ‘Oh, I’m really loving the neon green fuzzy shoes this season.’ It’s the most fashionable thing you can do if you’re working in the fashion world these days.
Alongside Econil, McCartney has partnered with the likes of Bolt Thread on Mylo “un-leather”, a leather alternative made from mushroom roots (the designer was part of earlier “collaborative products” supporting the company) and Vegea. Wine waste. Meanwhile, McCartney has set up a new $200m (£165m) fund called Collab SOS, investing in companies such as Bolt Trades, and helped set up Natural Fiber Welding, which created Mirum, a plastic-free leather alternative. and Protein Evolution, a startup that developed a process designed to make plastic waste (including nylon and polyester) infinitely recyclable.
“Investing in those new startups and the future of fashion is important to me personally because I’m a fashionista,” McCartney said of her involvement in the fund. “I work with so many amazing tech brands every day. We are working on developing materials and solutions together, and then I will bring them to a business model. To use my partners [and] My contacts to raise everything [via the fund]You can really see a meaningful change.
