Stella McCartney highlights waste in new ad campaign

Designer brand Stella McCartney is highlighting the issues of waste and consumption by shooting her autumn/winter 2017 campaign in a Scottish landfill site.

The campaign shot by Harley Weir in collaboration with artist Urs Fischer who has added illustrations to the imagery uses backdrops of a decaying car, a vast landfill and a household refuse collection centre as the brand looks to spark a conversation about consumption and the environment alongside its latest fashion collection.

Stella McCartney explains: “The idea we had with this campaign is to portray who we want to be and how we carry ourselves; our attitude and collective path. Our man-made constructed environments are disconnected and unaware of other life and the planet which is why there is waste.”

The imagery sees models Birgit Kos, Iana Godnia and Huan Zhou lying on or stood surrounding piles of rubbish and lounging on a scrapped car, in an attempt to highlight how “single use” and “disposable” items are wreaking havoc on the environment, while also showcasing the collection’s new pieces including signature textures and shapes in tailoring, knitwear and embroidery.

"Stella's fashion to me is about dignity, love and a beautiful attitude to all challenges, all while feeling good and looking great," artist Urs Fischer. "We wanted to reflect that in the concept of this campaign.”

Stella McCartney drives home environmental message in latest campaign

While the message behind the campaign is serious, the campaign’s use of the graphic squiggles and the high-fashion editorial still has an upbeat feel rather than one that is preaching. This campaign could have been depressing, however, Stella McCartney’s commitment to the environment teamed with the brand’s ethos for fun strikes the right balance and makes it less of a gimmick and hopefully will make more of an impact with consumers.

Stella McCartney has always been a vegetarian brand, the brand has never used leather, fur, skins or feather in any products for both ethical and environmental reasons, and has set a standard for the use of alternative materials. 53 percent of the womenswear collection comes from sustainable materials including sustainable viscose, regenerated cashmere, organic cotton and denim, recycled nylon, sustainable wood and cork, and eco alter nappa.

In addition to the print campaign, the brand has produced a video featuring the models lip-syncing along to a song by Australian rapper Tkay Maidza, and the designer is set to highlight the environmental message further across the brand’s social media platforms.

Images: courtesy of Stella McCartney