From an early age, I was very interested in all things fashion… and the change from tomboy to ultrafeminine glamour in old films. There was a Doris Day film I loved: ‘Calamity Jane.’ Stella McCartney Read Quote
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. Stella McCartney Read Quote
Asia has always been a really exciting part of the world for me, personally. And it actually was the first part of the world that bought my brand, strangely enough. Stella McCartney Read Quote
I grew up on an organic farm in England. And I was a vegetarian from an early age – not just for health, not for the environment – just because I didn’t believe in killing animals to eat them. Stella McCartney Read Quote
Pretending that the fashion industry isn’t in part based on leather would be quite stupid of me, but at the same time, there is another way of doing things – even outside of leather. I don’t use PVC either, for example, because it is harmful. Stella McCartney Read Quote
I think the fact that my parents weren’t conventional – especially considering their position – had a big influence on the way that I conduct myself now in design and business. It had a huge impact on my wanting to do something a bit more than just designing a pretty dress and putting it on a runway and making it glamorous. Stella McCartney Read Quote
When I was younger, I always assumed that when I grew up, I would be living in the country, and my kids would be going to a state school. But that’s not how things have turned out. I can’t see myself being able to leave London. Stella McCartney Read Quote
I was brought up in a way that was based purely on the senses. Everything in my upbringing was a reaction to growing up on an organic farm or to the emotions of animal cruelty, as well as the visuals of my mum’s and my father’s art – he was also an art collector. Stella McCartney Read Quote
We’ve all got to come together, and we’ve got to protect what’s left of our ancient forests on this planet. Stella McCartney Read Quote
You feel like everyone hates you if you’ve got a good life, now I feel maybe it’s allowed because I’ve had my share of sadness. Stella McCartney Read Quote
