STELLA MCCARTNEY FW20

I believe the FW20 runway from Stella McCartney profoundly demonstrates her activist nature. Whilst still invigorating a care-free spin to her show, McCartney ushers a significant message to the audience and through sartorial references, the British Designer insinuates a less provocative manner and a fresh strategy to protest fashion.

The Opera Garnier in Paris saw models flaunting the catwalk in animal costumes- a distinct irony since the “typical” animal on the runway comes in the shape of a bag, fur, or feathers. The ‘animals’ presented the audience with baby trees attached with labels reading “we should all be carbon neutral now”.

Not only is this a memorable experience for onlookers to receive and learn from her messages, but in giving the trees, it urged guests to plant them, thus assisting the offset of CO2 produced by the show.

In an article from The Guardian, McCartney quotes “what we try to do here at Stella is to sugar-coat a powerful, meaningful message in a little bit of humour and fun, to make our point palatable and digestible way so that people listen” (Cartner-Morley, 2020).

I feel this is a unique mode of catering to a consumer today, by enlightening them in a joyous way whilst proving a point. I appreciate the singular methodology behind Stella McCartney’s visions and the consideration she interposes to ensure her messages appeal to a younger generation as well as cater to the niche of her unfussed aesthetic.

When next looking into Generation Alpha, this is something I must consider too- what approach would they want and why?

Katharine Hamnett’s strong influence within the industry has continued to translate into designer’s fashion collections today. For her SS21 Shared campaign, Stella McCartney centred on the current generations optimistic attitude for a brighter future and collaborated with Japanese contemporary artist, Yoshitomo Nara, to produce a wearable gallery of garments containing graphic sets and organic cotton tees. Alike Hamnett’s designs, McCartney’s collections were blanketed in slogans including “we are punks” and “don’t waste another day” yet through a playful and bright composition.

McCartney’s ‘rebellious’ features appear less provocative than the stripped back boldness of Hamnett’s, as represented in figures 4 and 5. In comparison to Katharine Hamnett, it is perceivable that McCartney’s work accommodates to a younger generation, associating herself with upcoming names and changemakers, paving a way for the next youth to learn and continue her legacy and education. The employment of Nara was effective, I believe, since his storytelling parallels with McCartney’s in which the collaboration, therefore, carried a mighty, protesting substance. Nara has a signature style which “expresses children in a range of emotional complexities from resistance to rebellion to quietude and contemplation- celebrating the introspective freedom of the imagination and the individual” (Pace Gallery, n.d)- highly evident in his anime-like illustrations which offer a crayon-drawn aesthetic. In collaborating together, Stella McCartney and Yoshitomo Nara created a successful novelty which has recently (December 2022) seen a second capsule collection- showing how effective this type of marketing is with a Generation Z audience, thus urging me to continue with the notion of collaboration within my FMP.

I believe the employment of model Iris Law (daughter of Jude Law) as face of the campaign was efficacious too in establishing noticeability and connections with Generation Z. This is something I should continue to consider- would working with an influential figure be beneficial for promotional tactics?