Inside the Centre Pompidou, actress Helen Mirren opened Stella McCartney’s Paris Fashion Week show with a spoken rendition of The Beatles’ “Come Together.” This set the tone for a Tuesday night collection framed around humanity, animals, and Mother Earth.
British designer McCartney has long been ahead of the curve in fashion’s sustainability push. This season, she presented her most conscious offering yet: 98% sustainable and 100% cruelty-free. The collection featured no leather, no fur, no feathers, and no exotic skins. Instead, it introduced world-first innovations such as FEVVERS, a plant-based alternative to feathers, and PURE. TECH, a programmable fabric that absorbs pollutants from the air.
While the message was serious, the mood was anything but. A pounding bassline and rave-like lights kept the energy high as Robin Wright, Dylan Penn, and Johnny Depp watched from the front row.
McCartney’s silhouettes explored opposites—masculine and feminine, grounded and ethereal. Savile Row tailoring was deconstructed with double-breasted jackets sliced open at the sides, draped with dropped lapels, and worn over pleated wide trousers and 1980s Italian-inspired shirts. The color palette shifted from candy pinks, lavenders, and blues into khaki, corporate grey, and pecan.
Upcycling was prominently featured throughout the collection. Denim waistbands were collaged into dresses, bags, and even platform shoes. Sequins glimmered across Falabella clutches and hand-embroidered denim. Sculptural satin evening gowns and corseted draping were animated by the new feather substitute.
The collection captured McCartney’s recurring aesthetic: eco-lux innovation, 1980s-inflected power dressing, and activist theatre softened by British wit. With this show, McCartney seemed to dare her audience to imagine fashion that not only dresses the body but also strives to heal the planet.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/helen-mirren-opens-stella-mccartneys-activist-cruelty-free-paris-fashion-show-1813221.html
