Stella Mccartney has always been a confirmed and very vocal vegetarian so has never included any skin or fur in any of her previous collections from the start for that very reason. Cruelty-Free has always been an extremely serious issue to McCartney, one very close to her heart and one for which she has criticized the fashion industry heavily. However, that sometimes left her with a lack of texture in her designs, as up until now, the faux skin alternatives did not equate with the brands level of lavishness and opulence.
A new age in faux skin sumptuosity for fashion
So, at Paris Fashion Week, McCartney unveiled a new take on what she calls 'skin free skin', according to a report from The Guardian, that was nearly undetectable as a faux skin. This addition to her collection adds a final string to her bow making her latest show one of true elegance and refinement. She explained after the show that she had shied away from any other substitutes previously as they did not portray the level of quality synonymous with her collections. What was showcased was a true sumptuousness in her designs that were a clear nod to an English Heritage theme. The addition of faux leather and suede allowed McCartney to imbue her designs with all the necessary raw materials to deliver and present her truly British style with success.
McCartney stated, 'Until recently, I avoided using fake [leather] because it never looked luxurious enough…I am so excited that we have finally developed fabrics that look just as good as the real thing and therefore genuinely pose a question to the industry about why anyone needs to use leather anymore.”
Will leather and suede continue to be used in fashion?
It's hard to say whether there will be a true impact in the near future on the Fashion Industry and the use of real skins as a result of the progression made in the quality of faux skins.
It has now been put to the industry, by one of its own, that quality alternatives do exist and could substituted with great success. Whether that will lead to a shift in materials used remains to be seen. But Stella McCartney has now shown that a desire to create a real alternative to natural skins has led to something quite extraordinary.
