Orcas, sharks and waves: Stella McCartney puts the ocean on the runway
Stella McCartney opened her Summer 2027 show in Paris with the voice of David Attenborough. The designer is urging big luxury groups to invest in sustainable materials.
Photo: Jordiferrer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · Stella McCartney · youtube.com
British designer Stella McCartney presented her Spring/Summer 2027 collection in the garden of the British ambassador's residence in Paris. The show, which the house has published as a video on its YouTube channel, opened with a voiceover from broadcaster David Attenborough. "We have drained the life from our ocean," it said, Reuters reported. According to Fashionotography magazine, arriving guests were greeted by rain.
The collection centred on protecting the seas: waves were embroidered on the hips of low-rise trousers, tops had voluminous bubble hems, and blazers and shirts were sheer. Orcas, sharks and dolphins appeared as motifs, and transparent handbags held sea creatures such as a starfish. There were also aqua blue dresses and a coral trench coat. According to Fashionotography, materials included recycled polyester, deadstock fabrics, recycled denim and lab-grown wool.
"The fishing industry is stealth, it's war, we're at war with the ocean," McCartney told Reuters. Her brand uses no leather; handbags are made from alternatives based on mushrooms or grape byproducts from vineyards. McCartney, who bought her brand back from LVMH at the start of 2025, called on big luxury brands to invest in scaling sustainable materials such as organic cotton or lab-grown wool, which would also help smaller brands. "I think they all have good intentions," she said.