Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney Brand Overview

"Elevate your vegan footwear with Stella McCartney's women's shoes collection – consciously crafted from cruelty-free, non-leather materials. Our women's footwear styles are in step with your luxury wardrobe and ethical values." - Stella McCartney team

About Stella McCartney

"We believe that if you do not measure your impact on the planet, you cannot manage or improve it. What you cannot see, you cannot know. We continue to use natural capital accounting in order to put more sustainable actions into place and create a business that works with Mother Earth rather than against her." - Stella McCartney team

Is Stella McCartney an ethically vegan brand?

Stella McCartney claims to be a vegetarian brand, not a vegan one. Their shoes are free of all animal-derived ingredients (including in the glues and dyes), making their shoes vegan, but their clothing contains virgin wool, and recycled cashmere (it was virgin cashmere until 2014). According to the brand, "We are a vegetarian company which means that no animals are killed for our products."

What materials are used to make Stella McCartney shoes?

Stella McCartney doesn't go into too much detail about the specific materials used in each shoe, but on their website each model will typically list some of them. Most of their shoes, boots, and sandals are made primarily with vegan leather alternatives, and incorporate at least some recycled materials. For example, their knee-high boots use their luxury vegan alternative to leather, Alter Mat (plant-based content and recycled polyester), as well as production offcuts in their lining, and a cut insock containing plant-based content, and an FSC-certified wood sole.

Are their shoes eco-friendly/sustainable?

From an environmentally-friendly materials standpoint, Stella McCartney shoes, boots, & sandals are at least somewhat eco-friendly, as they do incorporate many natural, toxic chemical-free, and/or recycled materials into their designs. They also focus on durability, which is a key factor in sustainability. The brand has also successfully phased out the use of PVC (since 2010), a material which is known to have harmful chemical compounds in it. They do not currently use any tools or programs that share the eco-friendliness of their products, other than sharing vague breakdowns of the materials used in each shoe. And while the synthetic materials used in their shoes are generally considered worse for the environment than natural materials, those synthetic materials are still considered to be more environmentally friendly than animal-derived leathers (due to the inclusion of various toxic chemicals used in the tanning process, among other reasons). This is backed up by data from inside the fashion industry as well as outside of it. For the data, please see Collective Fashion Justice’s CIRCUMFAUNA initiative. In addition, the brand claims that, "Since 2014, Stella McCartney has committed to being a zero-deforestation brand by never sourcing from ancient or endangered forests - having achieved this in 2016, with the majority of our viscose now coming from sustainably managed forests in Sweden. We additionally use sustainably sourced paper and wood, including in the soles of our Elyse platform shoes."

Does production of Stella McCartney shoes create a lot of CO2 emissions?

Stella McCartney uses the EP&L natural capital accounting system to measures their greenhouse gas emissions, water use, water pollution, land use, air pollution and waste across their entire global supply chain. They then use this information to understand the hidden costs and benefits they generate from the way they operate. The brand claims that this insight drives innovation and helps them make better, more sustainable decisions in everything they do. Basically, they try to measure it, understand it, and improve upon it. For example, they found out that recycled polyester has a 75% lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester and uses up to 90% less water - so in 2016, the brand increased the amount of recycled polyester they used by 38% and introduced recycled nylon into their collections. 
According to the brand, "The development of the EP&L has been led by Kering, with the support of PwC, and has involved valuable input from a wide range of sustainability experts from within academia and business." You can see their full environmental reports here.

Does Stella McCartney use ‘green’ shipping methods?

It's unclear from their website if Stella McCartney uses net-zero or negative emissions shipping partners, either domestically or internationally. We’ve asked them for clarification, and are currently awaiting reply.

Are their shoes recyclable?

We've reached out to the Stella McCartney team to get further details on this, and are awaiting reply.

Is Stella McCartney a charitable company?

We’ve asked their team about any charitable initiatives they're involved with (if any), and are currently awaiting reply, as there is no such information available on their website.

Does Stella McCartney use eco-friendly packaging?

Yes - According to the brand, "All of the wood, paper and packaging we use is FSC-certified or from recycled sources. This helps to ensure that, like our forest-friendly viscose, the rest of our tree-based materials are also never from ancient and endangered forests, ensuring that there is no net loss and that we are not contributing to deforestation."

How should I dispose of my old Stella McCartney shoes?

You can try to sell your items via The RealReal, a consignment store of pre-owned luxury items that Stella McCartney has partnered with. If that fails, you can try donating them to someone in need, or taking them to a clothing recycling depot (if available in your city), which can strip them down to their recyclable components. We’ve also asked the Stella McCartney team if they currently have, or are developing, a shoe recycling program, and are awaiting reply.

What stores can I buy their shoes from?

Stella McCartney shoes can be purchased from their website, and can be shipped worldwide. They can also be found in dozens of branded retail locations across the world, as well as within the storefronts of a few select retail partners.

Do Stella McCartney shoes ever go on sale?

We haven’t noticed any sales for Stella McCartney shoes when visiting their site and perusing their social channels. However, you can try buying pre-owned Stella McCartney shoes from The RealReal, which is a marketplace giving new life to luxury goods through consignment.

Where are Stella McCartney shoes made?

Stella McCartney shoes are made in China and Italy. The brand is transparent about where their products are made, and you can find more details about their finished product suppliers on the Open Apparel Registry.

Are their shoes made with fair labour?

For those that are made in Italy, yes. Their labourers in Italy are protected by the stringent labour laws of the European Union, which also include strong health and safety regulations. However, their shoes are made in China, it's difficult for us as an outside, non-certifying 3rd party to verify whether or not Stella McCartney ensures its factory enforces all international and local labour laws, regulations and fair working standards to provide a safe and fair working environment for their workers. According to the brand, "Before we start working with a new supplier, we visit them in-person to assess their practices against our standards - either with our dedicated internal team or a nominated third party. We only work with a small number of external social auditors and consultants that have been trained on our assessment methodology and improvement programme." The brand goes on to say that "Where we identify room for improvement, we work with our suppliers to address the root causes of issues. Immediate action must sometimes be taken to ensure workers’ wellbeing and rights are protected, and we will take urgent steps to rectify any serious issues identified."

Does Stella McCartney promote ‘slow fashion’ or a ‘circular economy’?

Stella McCartney certainly promotes principles of a circular economy, as they even co-hosted the launch of The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report, A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future - a report that outlines an ambitious vision and optimistic future for the fashion industry - a system that ensures clothes, fabric, and fibres are kept at their highest value during use and re-enter the economy after use, never ending up as waste. According to the brand, "We believe that a modern business is one that benefits the economy, society and the environment. We strive to make this happen by using innovative materials, promoting restorative farming practices and designing products that are made to last." Some notable highlights of their circular economy efforts also include: using eco-friendly packaging; employing fair labour (partially, at least); incorporating recycled and recovered materials into their designs; developing and using innovative materials; avoiding the use of toxic chemicals; building products to last; and partnering with a pre-owned shoe consignment store.

Stella McCartney Footwear Range

Stella McCartney makes designer women's footwear in seasonal, statement-making styles. Their designs are on trend, and often involve a reimagining of classic styles, such as a platform derby shoe with a saw blade sole. Their current footwear range includes: