Stella McCartney to receive special recognition award at The Fashion Awards

Designer Stella McCarntney is to receive the first ever special recognition award for innovation at The Fashion Awards next month.

McCartney will be honoured at the Royal Albert Hall event, organised by the British Fashion Council in partnership with Swarovski, on 4 December for her commitment to sustainable fashion, material innovation and for utilising her influence to create a positive environmental impact on the industry.

The designer's commitment to environmental issues started at an early age. A vegetarian and passionate about animal rights, McCartney has never used any leather, fur, skins or feathers in her designs.

McCartney's career formally began in 1997 when, having completed a degree in fashion design at Central Saint Martins, she was appointed creative director at French luxury house Chloé. Four years later she established her eponymous fashion house in 50/50 partnership with global luxury group, Kering, and since its launch the brand has had a deeply rooted commitment to ethical values.

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 added: “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.”

Stella McCartney’s dedication to sustainability is evident throughout all her collections which include women’s ready-to-wear, menswear, accessories, lingerie, swimwear, kids, fragrance and the adidas by Stella McCartney collection. This includes the use of vegetarian leather and sustainably sourced viscose from certified forests, reducing the effect on deforestation, while 62% of all cotton used in her collections is organic.

The wool used is sourced from sustainably managed farms and all the cashmere is regenerated. The brand 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.

Most recently, McCartney’s brand has revealed efforts in sustainability with ongoing projects including a new partnership with Bolt Threads which pushes the boundaries of fabric innovation by working with bioengineered silk. A new partnership with authenticated luxury consigner The RealReal, provides the first step in ensuring the extended life cycle of clothing, embracing new business models that will transform how clothes are produced, sold, shared, repaired and reused.

For the full list of shortlisted designers and businesses for this year's Fashion Awards, click here.