Paris Fashion Week AW24: Stella McCartney makes powerful environmental rallying cry

Eco-friendly designer Stella McCartney pulled no punches at her latest Paris Fashion Week show. The AW24 collection opened with ‘a message from Mother Earth’.

Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

A collection of screens next to the runway showed pictures of nature, with a voiceover read by actors Olivia Colman and Helen Mirren – representing Mother Earth – asking: “Why are you harming me?”

The voiceover continued: “But what will be left of me, after you? I still love you, do you still love me? I need you to show it – it’s about f****** time.”

This final sweary refrain was the rallying cry of the collection, plastered across McCartney’s social media channels and seen on T-shirts down the runway.

It might be a somewhat confronting refrain, but British designer McCartney, 52, didn’t intend the collection to be all doom and gloom.

Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

“I wanted to be positive, I want to have a feeling of positivity, I didn’t want it to feel negative or like we were depressed or scared,” McCartney said backstage after the show, in a video posted on Instagram by fashion journalist Suzy Menkes.

“I wanted to celebrate the magnificence of her [Mother Earth], so really the story of the show is trying to have an uplifting experience, using fashion to lift people up and also to remind people that we have something to say here at Stella – and hopefully it’s positive.”

The collection itself featured a masterful array of well-tailored suits, silky dresses and a whole lot of covetable outerwear.

Lila Moss at Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

Slouchy tailoring has become a staple of the McCartney brand, and the autumn/winter collection had that in abundance. But tailoring was given a sexy spin, as models wore oversized jackets and trousers with no shirt underneath, and some blazers had bedazzled accents for a more glamorous look.

From structured trench coats in crocodile-effect materials to oversized knitted coats, outerwear was a key theme of the collection. And there was plenty of star power on the runway – Lila Moss, the daughter of Kate Moss, wore a light blue knitted poncho-style coat, while Russian model Natalia Vodianova closed the show in a floor-length white furry coat and matching boots.

Natalia Vodianova Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

Elsewhere, innovative knitted jumpers in neutral colourways looked to have balaclavas built in, while McCartney also played around with denim – one pair of jeans had a sequinned panel in the shape of chaps, while another had poppers up the side.

Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

Lips have long been a recurring motif for the brand, and this season they were seen in a more subtle way – on slinky patterned dresses.

McCartney seemed to be inspired by materials that aren’t always seen as the most environmentally friendly – such as leather and sequins – giving them her own sustainable spin. Last year, McCartney debuted biodegradable, non-toxic sequins, made without plastic, and as a vegan brand, ‘leather’ pieces have previously been made from sustainable materials like mushrooms.

Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

Models walked the runway in an entirely glass room which almost felt like a greenhouse, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces.

McCartney took a bow in an oversized grey suit with a black T-shirt underneath, while her father, musician Paul McCartney, applauded on the front row.

He was joined by fellow Beatles member Ringo Starr, and they weren’t the only famous faces keen to see McCartney’s latest collection.

Mel C at Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

The collection centred around block colours, and former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm, known as Mel C, continued this theme in an all-grey outfit.

Naomie Harris at Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

Meanwhile, Bond star Naomie Harris’ outfit was all about sharp tailoring: an all-white suit with caped sleeves.

Jameela Jamil Stella McCartney AW24 (Scott A Garfitt/AP)

The Good Place actor Jameela Jamil was also on the front row, in a fluffy light brown teddy coat and matching thigh-high boots.