I never want to promote an ad that makes women feel bad about themselves, because when I was young, I never felt rich enough or fashionable enough or good enough. I felt talked down to by luxury fashion labels. There was a disconnect. They made me feel we weren't right for each other.
Interpretation
Promoting body positivity and self-acceptance in advertising.
Stella McCartney emphasizes the importance of creating advertising that uplifts and empowers women, contrasting her own experiences with luxury fashion labels that made her feel inadequate. She advocates for a more inclusive approach that connects with women, allowing them to feel valued and confident rather than diminished by the marketing messages they encounter.
In practice
Sharing this quote at a fashion conference to discuss ethical advertising.
I've had people say to me, 'You'll never sell handbags. You don't work with leather, and leather is luxury.' To me, it's the complete opposite: leather is everywhere - it's so cheap a material; it's so mass produced. Over 50 million animals a year are killed just for fashion. For me, it doesn't have a luxury element to it.
It's not about what it looks like in the studio or on the runway. It's what it looks like on a real person that matters.
I think the moment that I'm very proud of is building a business without using animals. And, hopefully, changing people's perception of how you can do luxury fashion.
She had a womanly instinct that clothes possess an influence more powerful over many than the worth of character or the magic of manners.
Moving fashion used to be one of my chief goals. It's not necessarily any more. Fashion needs to change when life changes. You only need to move fashion forward when there's a reason to move fashion forward.
All it takes are a few simple outfits. And there's one secret - The Simpler The Better
They (fashion editors) have always been our secret weapon.
Why am I so determined to put the shoulder where it belongs? Women have very round shoulders that push forward slightly; this touches me and I say: 'One must not hide that!' Then someone tells you: 'The shoulder is on the back'. I have never seen women with shoulders on their backs.
Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody's buying far too many clothes.
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