Stella McCartney has always pioneered sustainable and ethical fashion long before it become an industry trend. McCartney has always delivered exciting collections while staying true to her design principles.

For her latest runway held at the Opéra Garnier in Paris, McCartney presented another show that was both equally well designed and socially conscious. Love messages were printed on the catwalk, a reference to Stella’s rainforest conservation project. The project raises awareness around the millions of trees cut down in Indonesia each year to make fabric.

The show opened with a brown (faux leather) paneled coat that looked super soft and luxurious, dresses, jump suits, pullovers and wide legged pants followed. The silhouettes evoked structure and comfort with emphasis placed on the shape of shoulders. Squared and wide shoulders featured in many of the dresses and coats, reminiscent of the 1980’s. McCartney presented a wide range of luxe coats in a variety of fabrications and colors. Coats were cinched at the waist with belts “twisted and wrapped adornments,” made by the noted textile artist Sheila Hicks. Stand out pieces were the faux fur coat tied with blue knotted belt, olive jumpsuit and modern trench coat in greyish-purple.

McCartney’s take on this seasons tailoring was laidback with clean lines. Formal suits were constructed from lightweight fabrics, fitted dress shirts were paired with wide legged cargo pants that were cut from formal fabrics. Distressed knitwear featured, with dresses and pullovers adorned with tassels that were upcycled from shredded vintage T’s. There was a big focus on sustainable fabrics with McCartney repurposing remnants from past collections. Cut-offs were use to create quilted details that decorated shoulders and necklines. ‘The viscose McCartney uses for her collections is harvested from certified sustainably managed forests in Sweden’ read the press release. Sustainability was also questioned with accessories, jewellery was made from recycled paper clips and rubber band ties.

The color pallete was traditional Fall colors of greys, blues, blacks and browns but mixed with flashes of green, yellow, warm reds and moments of peach and coral. Pattern was shown with a knitted dress in an abstract design and a horse motif. McCartney played with exposures towards the end of the collection featuring two dresses with lattice work that exposed the shoulders and neck. The final look was a quilted coat made from a mixture of floral fabrics that were sourced from past collections, it was a strong statement and a fresh look.

McCartney is the champion of showcasing beautiful contemporary designs that have a social conscious. She is leading by example and surely the rest of the industry is to follow.