Fashion rebel Stella McCartney launches new H&M collab

The collection will launch on 7 May, some twenty years after H&M’s first partnership with the Swedish fashion retail company.

“I hate how elitist the fashion industry is,” Stella McCartney said to The Guardian upon the launch.

“I want a younger and wider audience to have access to my stuff. People tell me they love my stuff all the time but they cannot afford it. This is not the cheapest of the cheap because there is a price that comes with doing anything good. But it is an access area for more people “she says.

“The first Stella McCartney H&M partnership – H&M’s second ever design collaboration – launched in November 2005. Styletalk’s Hanna Margrethe Enger is lucky enough to have captured some pieces from the first collab, like this jacket.

Styletalk’s Hanna Margrethe Enger in her Stella for H&M jacket, in a photo from 2010.

This new Stella McCartney H&M collection builds on that legacy. It reflects on the highlights of the house’s 25-year history, bottling McCartney’s pioneering and rule-breaking vision into a range of apparel and accessories” writes H&M in a press release.

The line unites past and present, combining beloved current signatures, such as oversized shirting, sweeping trenches and sharp tailoring, with playful iconic hits from McCartney’s early archive, including bejewelled prints and slogan tops. The collection also features a “Rock Royalty” emblazoned T-shirt, it is similar to the one she wore to the Met Gala in 1999 and a homage to daddy, Paul McCartney, who has supported her throughout her career sitting front row at all her runway shows. And there is THAT oversized pinstripe blazer with matching trousers made from responsible wool from farms with progressive land management and high animal welfare.

“I see this collection as a journey through my fashion history. It is a true mix of current classics and some of my old favourites that highlight my first forays into fashion and the development of my signatures. It is playful, strong, sparkling, joyful, refined.” says Stella McCartney.

The acclaimed designer and campaigner is known for refusing to use fur, feather or leather in her designs. By bringing eco-friendly materials to the high street she hopes it will help impact in ways people with ordinary income can afford. Like this new line features a new take on her Falabella bag, the first vegan it-bag when it launched in 2009. Her high street version will use recycled polyamide, which McCartney says reduces dependence on fossil fuels.

“I wanted to do better and do more,” said McCartney upon launch. “I also wanted to introduce H&M to my suppliers that champion sustainability. When H&M put in an order, it is meaningful, it can be life-changing for an innovator.”

““Elitism keeps luxury fashion houses alive. But I’m not an elitist brand; I’m the opposite, I want people to come to Stella. I want them to be part of Stella.” she told Harper’s Bazaar.

The collection’s campaign, shot by Sam Rock in London, and starring Renee Rapp, Angelina Kendall and Adwoa Aboah. The mood is playful yet effortless, nostalgic yet forward-thinking.

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