Born and raised in London and the English countryside, Stella McCartney graduated from Central St Martins in 1995. A signature style of sharp tailoring, natural confidence and sexy femininity was immediately apparent in her first collection and after only two collections, in 1997, she was appointed the Creative Director of Chloe in Paris and enjoyed great success during her tenure.
Stella McCartney launched her own fashion house under her name in a partnership with Kering as a 50/50 joint venture and showed her first collection in Paris in October 2001. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. Her collections include women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eyewear, fragrance and kids.
Stella McCartney now operates 40 freestanding stores in locations including Manhattan’s Soho, London’s Mayfair and Brompton Cross, LA’s West Hollywood, Paris’ Palais Royal, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. Her collections are now distributed in over 70 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including specialty shops, and department stores, as well as shipping to 100 countries online.
In 2003, Stella McCartney launched her first perfume “Stella.” In addition to the main line collection, a long-term partnership with adidas was introduced in September 2004. 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, winter sports and cycling.