Stella McCartney to team up with Parley for the Oceans on sustainable fashion

By

Emily Jensen

Published
Jun 7, 2017

The British designer will team up with the non-profit to create products made from plastic recovered from the ocean. With the collaboration, McCartney is hoping to give recycled material a luxurious image.

 
Stella McCartney has incorporated animal-friendly practices into her line since its launch since 2001, using vegan alternatives for leather. Now she’s made the preservation of marine life a focus of her brand by teaming up with the New York-based non-profit Parley for the Oceans. The organization works to end the destruction of the oceans and frequently teams up with artists and designers on creative projects.  
 
With the project, McCartney will use plastic from items recovered in the ocean like fishing nets, debris and bottles, to make accessories and apparel. In conjunction with the government of the Maldives, Parley for the Oceans already collects 80 to 120 tons of plastic from the ocean each month and hopes to extend its partnerships to other island nations.

This isn’t the first time McCartney has worked with Parley to make recycled fashion. She and Adidas previously created sneaker made from recycled materials in collaboration with the non-profit. Her new project will turn its attention to luxury apparel rather than sportswear. McCartney says it was a struggle to sell non-leather items at a high-end fashion label when she began her brand, but meanwhile her vegan-friendly approach to fashion is now part of her brand’s selling point. The designer says working with alternative materials has often incurred higher production costs, however she plans to keep the prices of the products made with Parley in line with the rest of her range.
 
In addition to her Parley partnership, McCartney has worked with the likes of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network to create pieces that are environmentally and animal friendly.
 
Parley says the ultimate goal is to create a sustainable material that will eventually replace plastic. However, both McCartney and Parley are hoping their partnership will help set a trend in the fashion industry to make recycled materials and sustainability a priority.