Stella McCartney to receive Special Recognition Award for Innovation

London - The British Fashion Council is set to honour designer Stella McCartney with a Special Recognition Award for Innovation. McCartney will receive the honour next week at the annual Fashion Awards 2017 in partnership with Swarovski.

McCartney has been a long time champion of sustainable fashion, most notably for eschewing the use of leather and fur when she founded her namesake label in 2001. A lifelong vegetarian, she is an avid animal rights supporter, although she does use wool, silk, and other animal-derived fabrics in her collections.

McCartney will be honoured on Monday 4th December at the Royal Albert Hall. The award celebrates her brand's commitment to sustainable fashion, material innovation and for utilising her influence to create a positive environmental impact on the industry. In a press release the BFC stated her "constant investment as a responsible, authentic and modern business is what makes her one of the industry’s most respected designers."

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, McCartney honed her skills as Creative Director at French luxury house Chloe, at which stage Phoebe Philo was her number two in command. Luxury group Kering famously set up a partnership with McCartney in 2001, and a brand was born.

Stella McCartney has been vocal about installing ethical values in her business, considering the fashion industry's impact on the environment. Like many 'green' fashion businesses, McCartney’s aims to be as sustainable as possible without compromising on luxury or design.

Stella McCartney commented "I’m incredibly proud to get this award. What I am most proud of is that it is a new award that is introduced into the Fashion Awards, a special recognition on innovation. I am hoping that as being the first recipient, I can inspire other design houses to follow suit and to make this the most prestigious award, not just a one off.”

Dame Natalie Massenet, Chairman British Fashion Council stated: “It is a great honour to present the Special Recognition Award for Innovation to Stella McCartney. Stella is a fashion pioneer, she has created a modern vegetarian business that in turn has led her to be at the forefront of sustainable sourcing and material innovation. She is proof that high and ethical fashion combined can create astonishing results and her innovative approach to the industry is an inspiration to us all.”

How does sustainability translate at Stella McCartney?

The company sources vegetarian leather and sustainable viscose from certified forests, reducing the effect on deforestation. Over half of the company's use of cotton is from organic sources. While animal by-products such as wool are used, McCartney states these are from sustainably managed farms and all the cashmere is regenerated. McCartney also works with recycling partners for all synthetic materials, in order to reduce the need for fossil fuels to be used for textile production, such as ECONYL which uses an innovative regenerated technology to make virgin quality recycled nylon with the ability to infinitely regenerate nylon waste into new fibres without loss of quality.

According to the BFC, the future of sustainability at Stella McCartney includes embracing innovation and the circular economy, by supporting on the ground restoration of the ecosystems touched by the raw materials we rely on and building transformative supply chain solutions. The brand will continue to announce further innovation partnerships throughout the year ahead.

The Fashion Awards in partnership with Swarovski will be held in London on Monday, December 4th. In 2008 McCartney received the Green Designer of the Year accolade at the ACE Awards in New York.

Photo credit: Stella McCartney, SS18 collection, source: Stella McCartney website