Stella McCartney sharpens sustainability agenda in Shanghai

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Stella McCartney was on a mission at Shanghai Fashion Week this season. Returning to the event for the first time since 2019, McCartney not only hosted a runway show, a talk at Donghua University and an event for VIP customers, but also unveiled a version of the materials innovation exhibition concept she introduced in Paris.

“I think the consumer here [in Shanghai] is underestimated in terms of their appetite for sustainability,” McCartney told Vogue Business in an interview after her show on Monday. “In fact, some of the first people who asked about this in my early interviews were Chinese. There’s a curiosity here and a true desire to learn. [They] are open-minded to seeing other ways of manufacturing and sourcing.”

McCartney’s omnipresence on the closing day of Shanghai Fashion Week wasn’t the only sign of the growing appetite for sustainability in China. Chinese consumers are conscious of the impact of overconsumption and many citizens support sustainable fashion, a 2023 report from marketing agency Daxue Consulting found. Unlike in the West — where activism is the agitator — the government is the main driver of change. During the 75th United Nations General Assembly in 2020, China’s president, Xi Jinping, announced the country's commitment to reaching carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 (the 30-60 dual-carbon goal).

“Sustainability could be the next guochao [or ‘national wave’ — a recent trend focusing on the rise of brands that celebrate Chinese identity]. The best sustainability marketing [in China] pairs it with some practical advantage to consumers — such as safety or quality,” says Alison Malmsten, marketing director at Daxue Consulting. In China, local governments have encouraged citizens to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle, and some companies are adopting new packaging and technologies to comply with the policy.

This season, Shanghai Fashion Week demonstrated its commitment to sustainability by hosting a number of activations. Michael Ward, managing director of British luxury department store Harrods, attended to present its programme, The Harrods Hive, focusing on sustainable materials, sustainable product design and sustainable retail innovation; it also held a mentoring session to help young talent exchange and development. Luxury group Kering held the third Kering Generation Award ceremony in collaboration with innovation platform Plug and Play China at the China Museum of Art Pudong (first prize was scooped by circular ceramics firm Yi Design).

Yehyehyeh Innovation Society — an agency set up by Shaway Yeh in 2017 to advance the sustainability agenda in China — held a one-day forum on the topic of rewilding and circularity; speakers included the Fashion Innovation Agency, Vans and Redress. On the day, sessions were live streamed to upwards of 10,000 listeners per talk and 4 million viewers watched on SHFW’s Douyin channel.

“In 2021, we held a session on biodiversity that had 225,000 viewers, which at the time was phenomenal. [This season] shows a real growing interest in all the different areas of the topic,” Yeh says. She explains that when she started out there was hardly any knowledge of the topic, especially in fashion, but now there’s a consensus that it’s necessary. “Now, there’s a general confusion about how we do this, but people are eager to learn more and do more. We had 25 speakers and academics [join the forum] for a deep discussion.”

The sustainability advantage

McCartney’s show, which took place in the Shanghai Fashion Week official showspace in the retail mecca Xintiandi, drew stars including actors Zeng Li, Na Ran and Meng Li to the front row. The exhibition, ‘Future of Fashion: An innovation conversation with Stella McCartney’, featured stalls from the brand’s material innovation partners, including Mirum, Vegea, Uppeal, Bananatex and Soktas. There were also looks on show from five sustainability-focused local designers, including Chen Peng, Oude Waag and Shie Lyu, and upcycling workshops by Donghua University (for which the brand donated items).

“It’s lovely to meet young designers and have these conversations and to give mentorship, and other solutions to another way of working sustainably,” says McCartney. “It’s exciting for us to have healthy activations here to show that this [way of working] is the way forward for fashion.”

To reduce its environmental impact, materials from McCartney’s showcase, open to the public until 22 October, will be repurposed for future activities and the installation will be supported by exclusive events at boutiques in China. Dan Cui, founder of sustainability agency CanU, which organised the event, says that the brand’s initial sustainability statement is evolving. “We are seeing it solidify with the advent of new technology innovation and the awareness of a new generation,” he explains.

For the brand, this means continued R&D. This year it introduced the world’s first commercially available Mylo handbag (production of Mylo has since been halted); debuted a grape-based vegan alternative to leather; repurposed LVMH deadstock fabrics; and introduced Recycrom dye and Humana denim made from recycled textile waste. “100 per cent of the company is focused on R&D. That’s what we do,” says McCartney.

Stella McCartney entered the Chinese market in 2012. Over a decade later, the brand operates nine owned stores: three in Shanghai, two in Hong Kong and one each in Beijing and Guangzhou, plus two outlets. It also has franchise stores in Macau, Hainan and Chongqing with undisclosed partners; two more franchises will open in Hainan by the end of the year. The LVMH-owned brand declined to reveal region specific performance figures, though a spokesperson says sales are up on last year.

Luxury fashion consultant Antonia Chang says the growing appetite for sustainability is a significant opportunity for the brand. “Big groups and brands in China are hiring sustainability consultants. So, I think for Stella McCartney, given that she is a very early advocate due to her lifestyle choices, it’s very advantageous.”

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